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Controversy and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appear to go hand in hand. Just as the fallout from Pakistan’s defeat in the Lord’s Test, including the sacking of the head coach and several players, was beginning to subside, the team management has sparked a fresh controversy.
Pakistani media have reported that the personal mobile phones of Pakistan’s cricketers have been taken into the PCB’s custody during the ongoing Edgbaston Test in an unprecedented move aimed at maintaining discipline within the team.
According to the reports, the players’ phones will remain in the board’s custody until the conclusion of the Edgbaston Test. However, the PCB has not officially explained which players had their phones confiscated or why such a strict measure was taken.
Under Article 4 of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Anti-Corruption Code, the use of internet-enabled mobile phones, laptops and landline phones is strictly prohibited in dressing rooms and designated official tracking areas during matches. Teams generally follow these regulations strictly to maintain professionalism and integrity.
However, taking away players’ personal phones altogether goes beyond the usual ICC protocol restricting phone use in dressing rooms during matches and is considered highly unusual in international cricket.
The PCB’s move has once again highlighted concerns over discipline, internal instability and a lack of trust within the Pakistan team.