Pakistan's left-arm spinner Raza Hasan, who turned in a match-winning spell against Australia in the 2012 T20 World Cup, was on Monday expelled from the remainder of the country's domestic season for breaching COVID-19 protocols.
He was playing for Northern's Second XI in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed that the 28-year-old has been sent back home after he "left the bio-secure premises at a local hotel without seeking a prior clearance from the medical team" and the High Performance department.
Nadeem Khan, the PCB's High Performance Director, called his actions "irresponsible and damaging". "It is sad and unfortunate that despite several reminders and educational programmes on the significance and importance of respecting and following Covid-19 protocols, Raza Hasan decided to take matters in his hand and overstepped the line," Khan said in a press release.
"As such, he has been expelled from the tournament and will not be allowed for the remaining season."
After making his debut as a 19-year old in T20 cricket in 2012, Hasan was picked for the T20 World Cup, where he returned with very impressive figures of 4-0-14-2, against Australia, removing both Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell in a man-of-the-match effort.
"The PCB has a zero-tolerance approach towards Covid-19 breaches as these are designed to not only ensure health and safety of all participants but to also demonstrate to the world that we can successfully organise and deliver domestic competitions," Khan said.
The player, however, played just 10 T20 internationals and an ODI before testing positive for a banned substance in 2015 and receiving a two-year ban.
