Pakistan cricketer Nawaz sanctioned after cannabis-related positive test

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after testing positive for a cannabis-related substance and has been handed a three-month ban that can be reduced upon completion of a rehabilitation programme, the governing body said.

Nawaz admitted the violation and demonstrated that the substance had been used out of competition in a manner unrelated to sporting performance, the ICC said in a statement on Friday.

The 32-year-old tested positive for Carboxy-THC — a metabolite of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis — after Pakistan’s T20 World Cup match against the Netherlands in February. Carboxy-THC is classified as a Substance of Abuse under the ICC’s Anti-Doping Code.

The all-rounder was handed a three-month suspension, backdated to May 1, the date he started a voluntary provisional suspension.

The ICC said that after serving about two and a half months under the provisional suspension and agreeing to undergo rehabilitation, his provisional suspension had been lifted.

The governing body added that, in line with its anti-doping code, Nawaz’s records from the Netherlands match on February 7 and subsequent matches until May 1 have been disqualified.

Nawaz featured in all seven of Pakistan’s matches at this year’s men’s T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, from their opening game against the Netherlands through the Super Eights stage, where they were eliminated. He scored 15 runs and took seven wickets in the tournament.