The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has modified the sanctions it had imposed on three of its players for prioritising personal interests over playing for the country.

Last month, ACB had put out a statement where they sanctioned Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, withholding their central contracts and denying them NOCs to participate in overseas leagues.

According to the ACB statement, the three players had requested the board to be left out of the central contracts and to enquire about their availability before selecting them for the national team. That led ACB to take disciplinary action against the players to safeguard the interests of the Afghanistan team.

On Monday (January 8), ACB released another statement, announcing that they have modified the earlier sanctions imposed on the players. According to the modified sanctions, the players can now “receive central contracts and participate in franchise leagues while ensuring their full commitment to national duties and ACB’s interests.”

The statement said that the players made an “unconditional approach to the ACB” and expressed “a strong desire to represent the country again”, following which the board “initiated a comprehensive investigation”.

The committee which was assigned to deal with the matter recommended the following regulatory measures to impose on the players:

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.

Limited NOCs: ACB will strictly consider the issuance of the NOCs to the respected players while prioritising the national duty and ACB’s interests.

Central Contract: ACB may grant central contracts to these players while strictly monitoring their performance and discipline in events.

Following ACB’s initial sanctions, Naveen had posted a cryptic story on social media with the words: “It’s a normal and a common thing truth comes out late and lies spread around faster than fire.”

Mujeeb, who was playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the ongoing season of the Big Bash League, was dropped from the squad following communication regarding the revoking of NOC from the ACB to the BBL team.

Afghanistan’s next assignment is a three-match T20I series against India in India, starting January 11. All three players in question – Mujeeb, Naveen, and Farooqi – are part of the Afghanistan squad for the series.

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