UAE vs AFG: Aakash Chopra Slams ACB For Denying NOCs To Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi

In a recent development, the Afghanistan Cricket Board denied NOCs (No Objection Certificates) to 3 of its players – Naveen-Ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi for playing franchise T20 leagues in foreign countries. As a response, cricket expert Aakash Chopra slammed the Afghani Cricket Board for not doing enough for their cricketers who have entered center stages only after playing in foreign leagues.

As we all know, Aakash Chopra is a very vocal personality who doesn’t back out from expressing himself. This time around he took a dig at Afghanistan’s cricket board for being careless and for not helping them nourish their skills which is restricting their development to become quality International cricketers.

The nation of Afghanistan is being ruled under the regime of the Taliban, a militant group that took control of the country back in 2021. It has affected their image Internationally with millions of people suffering a cruel tyranny.

It has also directly affected the cricketers of Afghanistan as well as the country’s cricket board. Last year, 6-time World Champions Australia had in fact refused to play a bilateral home series against them as part of a disagreement and protest against the country’s government that restricts women from participating in cricket.

The Australian Cricket Board’s decision to refuse to host the Afghan team agitated players like Rashid Khan and Naveen Ul-Haq among others who were at that time playing in the Big Bash League. To showcase their disappointment, both of the players announced themselves out from the remaining matches of BBL.

“If playing Afghanistan is so uncomfortable for Australia, then I wouldn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence in the BBL. Therefore, I will be strongly considering my future in that competition,” an angry Rashid Khan tweeted last year.

Ahead of the 2023-24 BBL season, Rashid had pulled out as well not because he is still angry with Cricket Australia’s actions but because he sustained a back injury in November. Other than him, leg spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the only Afghani player taking part in the 2023/24 BBL for the Melbourne Renegades.

But the latest decision by the Afghanistan cricket board has definitely shocked everyone as they have handed a 2-year ban on Naveen, Mujeeb, and Farooqi from playing in foreign leagues after the trio asked the board to see them off from the central contracts.

“Afghanistan Cricketers Have Improved Their Game Because They Are T20 Freelancers”, Opines Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra spoke honestly about Afghanistan cricketers improving their own game due to the fact that they are T20 freelancers who play T20 leagues all around the world. But the latest development has got Aakash Chopra furious on the Board as he feels if Afghanistan players only played domestically then they would not have been able to beat sides like England and Pakistan during the Cricket World Cup 2023.

He also claimed that the board is keeping their own interest before the country’s and that they have played no role in their development and thus they should not be stopping Naveen, Mujeeb and Farooqi from playing in foreign leagues.

“It looks good when you hear that but the truth is that when you check how much the Afghanistan Cricket Board has contributed to the players’ development, you say that they became such good players because they are T20 freelancers,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel. 

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan trio’s participation in IPL 2024 is unclear at the moment after the Afghan board banned them for 2 long years. Naveen Ul Haq has been playing for the Lucknow Super Giants, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was picked by KKR and Fazalhaq Farooqi was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024 Auction.