The former Pakistan cricketer, Ahmed Shehzad, has sparked controversy by accusing the BCCI of not allowing the ICC to directly conduct doping tests on Indian players.
His comments have stirred new controversies during the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after India national cricket team reached the semifinals.
Speaking on the Pakistani channel, Ahmed Shehzad claimed the Indian cricket team handles their own anti-doping checks instead of relying on the ICC’s testing system.
He alleged that the Indian board prefers to conduct the tests itself because it does not trust outside technology.
“ICC does the dope tests [sic] for the entire world except India. Their own board does it for them. Sir, they don’t give it to the ICC; they say we have our own board, which would determine. The Indians have said that we don’t trust any technology outside, we have good technology, so we would do the dope test for our own players,” said Ahmed Shehzad.
His comments spread quickly across the cricketing fraternity ahead of the second semifinal between India and England. However, there is no response from ICC or BCCI regarding the allegation.
Cricket’s anti-doping structure is governed by regulations aligned with the World Anti-Doping Agency framework, which the ICC adopted to maintain integrity across international competitions.
Players can be selected for testing without prior notice during tournaments or outside competitive windows.
Test procedures typically involve collecting urine or blood samples from athletes, which are examined at laboratories approved under international anti-doping standards. Samples are divided into two partsn referred to as ‘A’ and ‘B’ samples.
If the first sample detects a banned substance, the player may face provisional suspension and can request a second sample to be analysed as part of the review process.
India’s anti-doping test is managed through the National Anti-Doping Agency, which joined BCCI in 2019. The system operates under the same global code used across international sport.
Indian cricketers are still subject to anti-doping regulations that align with the broader international standards applied to players worldwide.
However, Ahmed Shehzad’s remarks have added another off-field talking point to the tournament, which has drawn significant attention due to high-profile knockouts and the approaching final between India and New Zealand on March 08 at Narendra Modi Stadium.
