Ajay Jadeja turned down payment for mentoring Afghanistan in ODI World Cup 2023, reveals ACB CEO

Afghanistan had a dream run in last year's ODI World Cup in India. While they were expected to do well in Indian conditions, not many had expected them to do better than some of the powerhouses of world cricket.

The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side stunned the cricketing world with their performance in the 50-over World Cup. They started their campaign with two losses but were quick to bounce back. After losing against Bangladesh and India, Afghanistan opened their account in style by thrashing defending champions England.

They went on to defeat Pakistan and Sri Lanka as well. Afghanistan were in a strong position against Australia as well before a monumental double-century from Glenn Maxwell pulled off a miraculous win for the eventual champions. In the end, Afghanistan finished the competition in the sixth spot in the points table.

One man who got a lot of credit for Afghanistan's fearless display in the ODI World Cup was former India batsman Ajay Jadeja. Just before the start of the competition, Afghanistan had roped in Ajay Jadeja as a mentor, and the move paid off. Even during the competition, Afghanistan head coach Jonathon Trott credited Jadeja for the team's performance, saying:

"I think Ajay brings a lot of experience having played a lot of cricket in India. He's always a good sounding board with regards to conditions, venues and also the other subcontinent teams that we've played against."

Well, Ajay Jadeja is set to earn more praise after Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Naseeb Khan's recent revelation. The ACB official has revealed that Jadeja did not take any fee from the board for his services as a mentor. "If you play well, that's all the money & reward I need," Jadeja told ACB.

Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja refused to take his payment from Afghanistan Cricket Board for his role as a Mentor for @ACBofficials during the @cricketworldcup - Reveals ACB CEO @NaseebAFGcric to Host broadcaster @ArianaNews_

👏 @vijaylokapally @iRashidLatif68 pic.twitter.com/dGmIWXQQyx

— Devender Kumar (@asdevender_bbc) June 14, 2024

Afghanistan storm into Super 8s:

After impressing in the ODI World Cup last year, Afghanistan have performed brilliantly so far in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup as well. They have booked their place in the Super 8s from Group C ahead of heavyweights New Zealand. Afghanistan are currently at the top of the points table ahead of co-hosts West Indies who are in the second spot.

The Rashid Khan-led side began its campaign with a statement win over Uganda. They thrashed the T20 World Cup debutants by 125 runs to start their campaign in style before inflicting a famous defeat on New Zealand. After scoring 159 runs, Afghanistan bowled out New Zealand for just 75 runs to win the game by 84 runs. In their third game, they beat Papua New Guinea to seal their spot in the Super 8s.