Umar Akmal Imam-ul-Haq Haris Rauf (Source: AFP)
The controversy surrounding Imam-ul-Haq has worsened, with the Pakistan batter staring at a potential two-year ban from international cricket. He was sent home midway through Pakistan’s Test tour of England, amid speculation that his injury might have been fake altogether.
Imam suffered a calf injury on Day 1 of the 2nd Test against England at Lord's before being ruled out of the match. He did not return to bat in either innings as Pakistan lost by 194 runs, conceding an embarrassing 0-2 series defeat.
When Imam stepped out at the start of Day 4 to practise batting with his calf taped, Stuart Broad and David Warner accused him of putting on an act. The comments came amid the emergence of allegations that he had faked injuries in the past.
As a result, a reported investigation is to take place. The PCB-led high-level committee will also examine the circumstances surrounding Imam’s calf injury.
If the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) finds him guilty of fabricating, exaggerating or misrepresenting injury, he may face a 2-year ban, joining a long list of Pakistan players who have been banned.
Along the same lines, let’s take a look at the list of Pakistan players who have been banned since 2020.
1) Haris Rauf: 2025 Asia Cup row (2-ODI match ban)
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf in November 2025 received a 2-match ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC), after the official hearings regarding India vs Pakistan matches during the 2025 Asia Cup.
Rauf found himself in the spotlight several times during the continental tournament encounters.
During a match when Indian fans taunted him with chants of “Kohli, Kohli”, recalling Virat Kohli’s 2 iconic sixes off him in the 2022 T20 World Cup at the MCG, Rauf responded by signalling “6-0” with his hands.
Also read: Cricketers Who Have Been Punished For On-Field Fights
Later, he added another controversial moment by mimicking a descending aeroplane gesture, which many interpreted online as a pointed dig at the Indian supporters. The gestures quickly went viral, leading to heated debate on social media and a review under the ICC’S Code of Conduct.
Found guilty on multiple occasions, he was fined 30 per cent of his match fees twice and a total of 4 demerit points. Thus, Rauf, banned for 2 matches, missed Pakistan’s two ODIs against South Africa in November 2025.
2) Fakhar Zaman: Ball tampering (2-match ban)
On March 31, Fakhar Zaman was suspended for two matches of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 after being found guilty of a Level 3 breach of the tournament’s Code of Conduct.
The charge relates to a violation of Article 2.14, which addresses altering the condition of the ball, during Lahore Qalandars’ fixture against Karachi Kings.
The incident occurred in the closing stages of the match when on-field umpires penalised Lahore Qalandars five runs and ordered a ball change ahead of the final over of Karachi Kings' innings.
Fakhar was charged by the on-field umpires Shahid Saikat and Faisal Khan Afridi, along with TV umpire Asif Yaqoob and fourth umpire Tariq Rasheed. He denied the offence and opted to contest the charge, which led to a full disciplinary hearing.
Ultimately, he was found guilty and thus banned for the following 2 matches in the PSL 2026.
3) Umar Akmal: Violation of Anti-Corruption Code in 2020 (18 months)
In April 2020, the PCB banned Umar Akmal from all cricket for three years for failing to report corrupt approaches.
Akmal breached Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code by failing to disclose details of corrupt offers made to him in two separate incidents ahead of the Pakistan Super League 2020.
He was provisionally suspended on February 20, 2020, before receiving the three-year ban on April 27, 2020.
In July 2020, an independent adjudicator reduced Akmal's three-year ban to 18 months.
The reduced suspension ran retrospectively from February 2020, making him eligible to return to competitive cricket in August 2021 after paying a fine and completing a rehabilitation program.
4) Mohammad Nawaz: Breach of anti-doping code 2026 (3-months)
In 2026, the ICC sanctioned allrounder Mohammad Nawaz for violating its anti-doping code and handed him a three-month ban. A test was carried out on him after the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Netherlands in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 7 February.
Also read: All Pakistan Cricketers Who Have Been Banned Due To Drug Usage
He tested positive for a Substance of Abuse (Carboxy-THC) under the ICC Anti-Doping Code. Nawaz admitted the use of the substance out of competition.
Thus, the ICC handed him a three-month period of ineligibility to play, starting from May 1, 2026, when he took a voluntary provisional suspension.
5) Asif Afridi: Violation of Anti-Corruption Code in 2022 (1-year)
In 2022, Asif Afridi was handed a two-year ban for two separate breaches of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code, for backdated instances.
The ban came into effect on September 12, 2022. However, the left-arm spinner returned to domestic cricket after a one-year ban.
Notably, when the PCB announced the sanction on its official website and social media profiles, it stated that he had been banned from all forms of cricket for 2 years.
The PCB accepted that the official announcement of Afridi’s ban earlier that year contained an error and confirmed that his period of ineligibility was actually for only a year.
Also read: Ajit Agarkar's Selection Committee Kept In The Dark On Jasprit Bumrah, Complaints Emerge
