‘Jail-Like Environment’: PCB seizes Pakistan players' phones ahead of Edgbaston Test — Report
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Jail-Like Environment’: PCB seizes Pakistan players' phones ahead of Edgbaston Test — Report")
PCB seizes Pakistan players' phones ahead of Edgbaston Test — Report Photograph: (Others)
The PCB has reportedly confiscated the mobile phones of several Pakistan players ahead of the Edgbaston Test against England. Read more about the 'jail-like' environment and ICC rules.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) seemed to have hit rock bottom following the Lord’s Test defeat. Days after Pakistan dropped seven first-team players, including Salman Agha, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq, and released head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, the PCB has sunk lower by taking away the mobile phones of several unnamed players ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston. Latest reports suggest that the PCB confiscated mobile devices and is unlikely to return them to the players unless the last ball of the third Test is bowled.
For whatever reason, be it for suspicion of match- or spot-fixing, keeping players away from online backlash, or to keep them away from phones during an internal investigation after the series loss in the UK, the PCB has created a ‘jail-like’ environment for the players.
Also read| All out for 55 vs India, coach Wahab Riaz bizarrely claims Pakistan as ‘Best Team in Asia Cup’
Although a Pakistan 365 report did not identify the players whose mobile phones the PCB took away, the cricket board also hasn’t publicly stated why the mobile devices are in its custody. This development, moreover, has raised questions about the extent of the authorities’ ‘power over the players’, particularly regarding seizing their personal items like mobile phones.
Meanwhile, under the ICC’s Player and Match Officials Area regulations, all international players and the team’s support staff are not allowed to have access to mobile phones or any other communication device inside the restricted areas, including the dressing rooms and dugouts.
Players are also expected to submit their communication devices in secure storage before entering restricted areas. The main purpose of these regulations is to protect the integrity of international matches and prevent unauthorised communication.
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Changes since Lord’s Test defeat
Since surrendering the three-match Test series at Lord’s, where Pakistan failed to cross 200 across both innings, the PCB made drastic changes, with several more happening in the background. Amid dropping and releasing players and the support staff, Pakistan roped in seven new faces, including five uncapped cricketers.
Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, Pakistan’s white-ball coaches, have been asked to take up the coaching responsibilities for the final Test in Birmingham.
The PCB also issued a show-cause notice to the four-member selection committee, seeking a response within 24 hours on the inclusion of Rizwan and Imam in the squads for the away tours of the West Indies and England.
Misbah-ul-Haq, one of the four members, also tendered his resignation a day after the PCB made wholesale changes to the main-team roster, with the PCB rejecting it.
Meanwhile, England lead the three-match series 2-0, with the final Test starting next Wednesday (Sep 9).
