IND vs AFG: Afghanistan Cricket Board Ease Sanctions On Naveen Ul Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman And Fazalhaq Farooqi After "Final Warning"

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has modified the sanctions imposed on Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi three of the most important players in the current squad. This happened after reported considerations between the board officials who were ready to give the players another chance after a final warning. 

The trio have been fined and given final warnings after evaluating the players’ initial stance in light of recent developments and acknowledging the importance of their presence in the national team, the assigned committee communicated its final recommendations to the board.

Last month the three national players expressed their unwillingness to sign the national contracts in response to which the ACB had revoked their NOCs to participate in foreign T20 cricket leagues. According to the ACB, the three players were not keen on signing the central contract and ‘prioritized their interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility.’

The ACB in response listed out a few guidelines which is mandatory now to be followed by the national team cricketers. This will make them choose international cricket over anything else. While it was decided that the players will no longer be eligible to obtain NOCs for two years, all the current NOCs shall be revoked immediately.

Now the board has decided to ease the sanctions of the national players after they came up and spoke to them about representing the national team in the future. Naveen and Farooqi played the T20I series against UAE and have been retained in the squad for the India T20I series. Mujeeb opted out of the T20I series to play in the BBL. 

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Following an unconditional approach” from the trio to represent the Afghanistan team, an assigned committee conducted a “comprehensive investigation” and came up with three vital points which were the takeaways from the discussion. The players have been given a written final warning including deductions in salary and have been said that they will be given NOCs with national duty being the priority. The key takeaways are listed in the below-mentioned points. 

Afghanistan Cricket Board’s Conditions To Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi And Naveen Ul-Haq

1. Final Warning and Salary Deduction: Each player shall receive a final written warning and face a specific salary deduction from their monthly earnings and/or match fees.
2. Limited NOCs: ACB will strictly consider the issuance of the NOCs to the respected players while prioritizing the national duty and ACB’s interests.
3. Central Contract: ACB may grant central contracts to these players while strictly monitoring their performance and discipline in events.

Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB Chairman, said that the three players are valuable to the national team and the considerations have been made given their recent contribution towards the success of the national team. 

“The players have undoubtedly contributed to the team’s success and have represented the nation to the best of their values. We hope that they avoid making similar inconveniences in the future as we expect them to represent the country in the best of manners,” said ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf.

He further said that the board and the rules of playing for the national team are above the personal interest of players and breaking the guidelines are not expected from players of the national team. 

“The ACB and the rules are above all of us and it’s important to adhere to the regulations because there are no exceptions for anyone in this regard. However, such cases of a similar nature would be dealt with more strictly as we prioritize the prestige of the Afghanistan Cricket and the organization.” He added.

Naveen-Ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Fazalhaq Farooqi are all part of the Afghanistan T20I squad named for the T20I series against India. The T20I series starts with the first T20I in Mohali on January 11. 

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