LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has banned domestic cricketer Hamza Nazar for two years and slapped him with a fine of Rs1 million for furnishing wrong and incomplete information during a visa application process.
As per a statement released by a PCB spokesman, disciplinary action has been taken against cricketer Hamza Nazar following an investigation into the information furnished during the visa application process conducted through the board.
As a result of the ban, the cricketer will remain ineligible for any domestic and international cricket activity for two years.
The Pakistan Cricket Board noted that after an inquiry into the information provided by Hamza Nazar, it was discovered that he failed to furnish complete and true information during the process, withheld some important information and furnished misleading information.
In order to conduct an inquiry into the case, the Pakistan Cricket Board constituted a three-member inquiry committee. The inquiry committee gave an opportunity to Hamza Nazar to state his stance regarding the case before taking the decision.
Joe Root Era Begins as England Announce Squad for Pakistan Test Series
Meanwhile, England have announced a 16-member squad for the opening two matches of their three-match Test series against Pakistan, with Joe Root set to lead the side as permanent Test captain for the first time following Ben Stokes’ retirement.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has named the squad for the series which starts from August 19, with the first Test to be held at Headingley.
The squad features the likes of Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope and Sam Cook along with a youngster Jordan Cox, who has made a comeback to the team and has been given the important number three batting slot. This has been done because Jacob Bethell has been sidelined from the whole Pakistan series due to his knee injury.
Marcus North, a member of the selection panel of England, explained that the team has been chosen keeping in mind the fact that the Pakistan team is a tough one to play against.
Lawrence will play at number six in the side and will also serve the purpose of spinning the ball around. England can choose a combination having four fast bowlers.
Spinner Shoaib Bashir has retained his place in the squad, while the pace attack features Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Fisher, Ollie Robinson, Brydon Carse and Sam Cook. Carse returns to the Test setup after recovering from injury.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already selected a squad of 16 players for the tours to the West Indies and England.
The Pakistan team will comprise Babar Azam, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Owais Zafar, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.
The tour of Pakistan to England will consist of three Test matches starting from August 19.
