Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has accepted a three-month ban from the International Cricket Council after testing positive for a cannabis metabolite, though the suspension has effectively been reduced to one month following his agreement to enter a rehabilitation program. The ICC announced the sanction on Friday, confirming the 32-year-old had admitted to using the substance out of competition and unrelated to athletic performance. Main Developments Nawaz's positive test came from a doping sample collected after Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7. The substance detected was Carboxy-THC, a metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is classified as a Substance of Abuse under the ICC's Anti-Doping Code. Although the ICC handed down a three-month period of ineligibility, the ban was backdated to May 1, the date Nawaz began a voluntary provisional suspension. His commitment to a substance abuse rehabilitation program further reduced the effective ineligibility to one month, meaning he has already served two and a half months of provisional suspension and is now free to play. Read also: Indian Co-Owner of LPL Team Arrested Hours Before Match-Fixing Probe Background The Pakistan Cricket Board had sent Nawaz's medical history to the ICC in April after reports emerged that he had failed a dope test conducted during the T20 World Cup, which was co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India. This case adds to a history of doping violations in Pakistani cricket. Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif received two-year and one-year bans respectively in 2006 after failing drug tests ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy. In 2015, Test spinner Yasir Shah was also handed a three-month suspension for a doping violation. Why It Matters The case highlights the ICC's evolving approach to substances classified as "Substances of Abuse," where the governing body distinguishes between in-competition use and out-of-competition use unrelated to sport performance. For Nawaz, the sanction means his individual records from the Netherlands match and all subsequent matches until May 1 have been disqualified, potentially affecting team statistics and personal milestones. The rehabilitation-focused penalty also sets a precedent for how the ICC handles similar cases involving cannabis-related substances. What's Next Nawaz must complete the substance abuse treatment program to the ICC's satisfaction to avoid serving any further period of ineligibility. Once the program is completed, his provisional suspension will be fully lifted. The PCB has not yet commented on whether Nawaz will be considered for future national team selection following the completion of his sanction.