The three players, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, and Naveen Ul Haq, are now eligible to receive central contracts and play in franchise leagues as long as they guarantee a “full commitment to national duties and ACB’s interests,” according to a modification made to the sanctions imposed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Mujeeb had all declined to sign the central contract for 2024. In response, the ACB decided not to issue them No Objection Certificates for two years and postponed the announcement of the national contracts.
After meeting with the board, Mujeeb returned to Afghanistan, but Farooqi and Naveen missed the T20I series against the UAE to play in the Big Bash League. Due to the ACB rescinding his NOC, Mujeeb’s time in the BBL was terminated. However, the 22-year-old was eventually added to the Afghanistan team when they announced the team for the Twenty20 International Series against India.
According to the ACB, the players expressed their willingness to play for the nation again through an “unconditional approach” to the board. After that, a designated committee carried out a “thorough investigation” and produced recommendations, which included giving them a written final warning, deducting money from their monthly earnings and match fees, limiting NOCs to prioritize their national duty, and awarding central contracts while closely observing their performance and behavior at events.
“There’s no denying that the players have helped the squad succeed and have done a fantastic job representing their country. We expect them to represent the nation with dignity, so we hope they won’t cause any more inconveniences of this nature in the future,” ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf stated.
There are no exceptions for anyone in this regard, thus it’s crucial to abide by the rules because the ACB and the regulations come before all of us. But since we value the reputation of Afghanistan Cricket and the organization, such situations would be handled more strictly,” he stated.