Doctor Najeebullah Soomro of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan had taken a 'prohibited substance' before the T20 World 2021 semi-final match against Australia.

Rizwan, 29, was rushed to the hospital prior to the game after suffering from a chest illness.

Rizwan returned to the game after being released from the ICU and scored a 52-ball 67. However, his effort was in vain, as Australia overcame Pakistan and eliminated them from the tournament.

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Meanwhile, Rizwan's doctor stated that he obtained authorization from the International Cricket Council (ICC) before injecting the illegal medication into the cricketer.

“You were unable to breathe and I have to get permission from the ICC to inject that medicine to help you recover. Usually, it is prohibited for the athletes but since there was no other option available, we have to take permission from the ICC to inject that medicine,” Dr Soomro was quoted as saying during an interview with Rizwan.

With 281 runs from six games at an average of 70.25 and a strike rate of 127.72, Rizwan finished third on the batting list. He also had three 50s in the competition, the best of which was an unbeaten 66.

He was also the first batter to score over 2000 runs in T20s in a calendar year in 2021. He gave several opponents nightmares, along with Babar Azam.