The already difficult England tour for Pakistan has suffered another unusual turn, as the Pakistan Cricket Board is said to have taken over the mobile phones of members of the national team before the third and last Test at Edgbaston.
As reported by Pakistani journalist Amber Ali from 365 News, the players' phones have been given to the PCB and will stay in the board's possession until the final Test concludes. The PCB has not stated the reason for the phones being taken, and the identities of the players whose devices were seized have not been made public.
The action has led people to question just how much power the authorities have over players' personal devices, especially as regards accessing their private communications and keeping the phones beyond the restrictions that apply on match days.
ICC Rules About Players’ Phones
In international cricket, mobile phones and other communication devices are already under strict restrictions. According to the ICC's regulations for the Player and Match Officials Area, neither players nor support staff are allowed to have or use such devices in designated restricted areas, such as dressing rooms, while an international match is taking place.
It is expected that players will keep their devices in secure storage when entering these areas since the rules are mainly designed to protect the integrity of the matches and to prevent unauthorized communication.
A temporary restriction in relation to matches is quite different from a cricket board keeping a player's personal phone for an extended time, and the ICC Anti-Corruption Code grants authorised officials considerably wider powers if a formal integrity investigation is going on.
According to the code, an officially authorised anti-corruption officer may serve a written demand on a participant asking them to hand over their mobile device or permitting the investigators to copy or download its contents if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the material may be relevant to the investigation.
The type of information that may be obtained under these provisions may comprise telephone and internet records, text messages, WhatsApp conversations, photographs, videos, audio files and other electronically stored documents.
Players might also be asked to give their passwords or access codes in order to get the relevant information, and failing to cooperate with a genuine anti-corruption inquiry can in itself lead to disciplinary measures.
It has not been confirmed that the phones seized in England are part of an anti-corruption inquiry, and no player has been publicly charged with an integrity-related offence.
What Powers Does The PCB Have?
There is also a difference between international and domestic cricket as regards jurisdiction: in the case of international cricket the ICC's Integrity Unit functions according to the global Anti-Corruption Code, whereas national boards usually have direct anti-corruption jurisdiction in respect of their domestic competitions.
The PCB might have the necessary authority as a result of player contracts, team regulations or its internal disciplinary procedures. Yet the board has not mentioned any such provision in its explanation of the most recent development.
The controversy arises at a very difficult stage of Pakistan's tour of England. Having suffered heavy losses in the first two Tests, Pakistan made major changes before the Edgbaston match by dropping seven players from the squad and changing its coaching team.
Since the PCB has not given a reason for taking the players' phones, the precise circumstances of the decision are still unknown. Given that the Pakistan team is already going through a great deal of disruption both on and off the pitch, the situation is likely to lead to even more questions until the board gives an explanation.
