ACB suspends Mohammad Shahzad for indefinite period

During the Cricket World Cup 2019, the Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman had slammed captain Gulbadin Naib and top board officials for sending him home despite being fit to play.

The Discipline Committee had called Shahzad for interrogation last month, but he did not attend the meetings.

 

Mohammad Shahzad has been suspended by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for an indefinite period due to a breach of Code of Conduct.

During the Cricket World Cup 2019, the Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman had slammed captain Gulbadin Naib and top board officials for sending him home despite being fit to play.

The Discipline Committee had called Shahzad for interrogation last month, but the cricketer did not attend the meetings scheduled on July 20 and July 25. “My son wasn’t keeping well. So I could not attend the meetings. I had already informed the board,” Shahzad told Sportstar on Saturday from Jalalabad.

This publication has learnt that the Peshawar-based Shahzad was recently practising in Pakistan despite requests from ACB to relocate to Afghanistan permanently.

The cricketer grew up near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Before getting married in Peshawar, he spent his early years in a refugee camp in the region.

According to the ACB officials, the committee will meet after Eid-ul Adha holidays to assess the case and reach a decision. In a statement, the board also claimed that “any player travelling out of the country is required to seek the permission of ACB. Shahzad has not adhered to this, repetitively.”

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