The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has handed one-year suspensions to chief national selector, Dawlat Ahmadzai, and team manager, Naweed Sayem following the team’s poor show in the World Cup.
A few weeks before the the tournament got underway, Ahmadzai introduced multiple captaincy policy and as a result, long-serving captain Asghar Afghan was replaced by Gulbadin Naib. The decision did not go down well with the players, with seniors like Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan criticising the move. Even though Afghanistan officials claimed all was well in the camp, the side lost all its nine games in the World Cup — leading to question marks over the team selection.
Read: Rashid Khan named Afghanistan captain across formats
During a meeting in Kabul on Saturday, the Board members decided to suspend team manager as well as the team got involved in a restaurant-brawl incident in Manchester, where the police had to be called in. During the tournament, the Board also had to withdraw fast bowler, Aftab Alam, under ‘exceptional circumstances’ for breaching the code of conduct.
“The board members decided that it was necessary to suspend a few people, who played a role in the team’s poor outing in England. It’s a matter of great seriousness for us,” one of the Board members told Sportstar.
It has also been learned that the Board has decided to sack former acting CEO, Asadullah Khan. However, Khan claimed that he himself has resigned from the position. A couple of days ago, the ACB appointed Lutfullah Stanikzai as the new CEO, while former national coach, Andy Moles will look after the selection process for now.
The Board officials confirmed that there hasn’t been any decision on the appointment of the chief coach. Phil Simmons, who coached the team in the World Cup, has already informed that he will not continue after his term ends on July 15.
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