Afghanistan players’ NOC revised after they were sanctioned from playing T20 Leagues

Recently, the Afghanistan Cricket Board revoked the NOC for playing T20 Leagues. The NOCs of pacers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq and mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman were revoked. They opted out of the national central contract to play in different leagues. In reply, ACB decided to revoke these player’s NOCs, and Mujeeb had to leave his BBL team, Melbourne Renegades.

“The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritising their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility,” the board statement added. “By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players.”

The board said that the decision was taken to make players understand that playing for the national side is more important.

“The decision by the Afghanistan Cricket Board is made with a focus on national priorities, aligned with the ACB’s core values and principles,” the statement further said. “It highlights the necessity for every player to maintain the ACB’s principles and prioritise the country’s interests above their personal ones.”

Afghanistan Cricket Boards modifies NOC revoking

A few days after revoking the NOC, the board has decided to reintegrate those players and they have been offered the central contracts. The team will play a three-match T20I series against India from January 11 to 17.

“We really hope the players avoid making similar inconveniences in the future as we expect them to represent the country in the best of manners.” ACB chief Mirwais Ashraf said. “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 prioritise the prestige of the Afghanistan Cricket and the organisation.”