ACB Suspends Mohammad Shahzad From All Forms Of Cricket For A Year

Afghanistan opener Mohammad Shahzad has been suspended from playing all forms of cricket for a period of 12 months for breaching Afghanistan Cricket Board’s (ACB) code of conduct. Earlier, the ACB had suspended Shahzad indefinitely for breaching the board’s code of conduct.

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ACB had stated that the wicketkeeper-batsman had not adhered to a policy that requires players to seek the board’s permission before travelling out of the country. Media reports at that time suggested that Shahzad had travelled to Pakistan for practise without seeking the board’s permission. Before that,  he was sent home early from the World Cup in England and Wales ostensibly with a knee injury. He had later insisted he was fit and claimed he had been unfairly left out.

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Mohammad Shahzad has now suffered yet another blow in arguably the toughest phase of his career.  Shahzad’s suspension stems from his breach of the same policy that requires players to seek the board’s permission before travelling out of the country.

In an official statement, the ACB stated:

“Shahzad has violated ACB’s disciplinary rules and regulations previously as well and has not adhered to ACB’s code of conduct for players. He has travelled out of the country several times violating ACB’s policy for players to seek its permission before doing so.”

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“ACB has well-equipped training and practice facilities within the country and Afghan players do not require to travel abroad for such purposes,” the statement added.

Last year, the ACB had fined Shahzad and asked him to relocate to Afghanistan permanently or risk having his contract terminated. Shahzad has a strong connection with Peshawar in Pakistan. He spent his early years in a refugee camp in Peshawar but his parents are originally from Nangarhar, Afghanistan.  The Afghanistan star also got married in Peshawar.

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