File photo of Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman© AFP
Afghanistan’s ace spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s season with Big Bash League franchise Melbourne Renegades has ended after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) revoked his No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the remainder of the season according to ESPNcricinfo. Renegades a day prior to the game confirmed that Mujeeb would miss the Melbourne derby on Tuesday. According to ESPNcricinfo, the star spinner has flown back to Afghanistan and awaits an update from the board. “Mujeeb’s time with the Melbourne Renegades in BBL13 has unfortunately come to an end. Due to a recent change in his NOC, his tournament ended earlier than anticipated and he flew home this evening,” a Renegades spokesperson confirmed to ESPNcricinfo.
ACB last week released a statement to announce Mujeeb along with pacers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi was sanctioned by the board following their request to be left out of the central contract 2024.
“The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritizing their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility. By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players,” a statement from ACB read.
The sanctions included revoking any NOC they currently possess along with no NOCs for the three bowlers to play in T20 leagues for the next two years.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Naveen and Farooqi approached the ACB and expressed a strong desire to represent the nation. They were added to Afghanistan’s squad for their three-match T20I series against UAE.
The series is currently on level terms with Afghanistan winning the game quite comfortably by 72 runs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s century powered Afghanistan to a score of 203/3, the bowlers in return did their job and accomplished a comprehensive victory.
Farooqi claimed two wickets after giving away just 19 runs while Naveen claimed a single wicket in his four-over spell and spilled 25 runs.
In the second T20, UAE bounced back to level the series as they restricted Afghanistan to 155 after setting a total of 166/7 in the first innings. The series will conclude on Tuesday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
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