Afghanistan Cricket Board suspends Mohammad Shahzad for an indefinite period

On Saturday, Afghanistan Cricket Board suspended wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad for breaching ACB’s code of conduct. Shahzad didn’t obey his cricket board’s policy of taking permission before traveling out of the country. However, this is not the first time that the opening batsman breached the rules. He was suspended by the board in 2018 for playing a local tournament in Peshawar without seeking permission from the board officials.

Mohammad Shahzad was dropped mid-way during the World Cup 2019 due to fitness reasons. The keeper-batsman later disclosed that he was wrongly declared unfit and went on to say that he wanted to quit the game. ACB also revealed that the player failed to attend meetings with the Discipline Committee.

ACB’s statement:

“As per ACB’s policies, any player traveling out of the country is required to seek the permission of ACB. Shahzad has not adhered to this, repetitively, Mohammad Shahzad has also breached the ACB Code of Conduct previously and was recently called for questioning by the ACB Discipline Committee in relation to a disciplinary matter during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.”

“Mohammad Shahzad did not attend meetings scheduled with the Discipline Committee on 20th and 25th of the last month. The Discipline Committee will meet after Eid-ul Adha holidays to assess the breaches by Mohammad Shahzad and make a decision to be publicized soon,” ACB added in their statement.

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

‘My heart isn’t with cricket anymore’

After his axing from the 2019 World Cup, Shahzad got emotional and said that he will consult his friends and family members before taking the final decision about his retirement. He was part of only two games in the mega event for Afghanistan. He also admitted that his heart isn’t with the game of cricket anymore.

“I don’t see myself playing anymore. It’s a dream to play the World Cup. I was removed from the 2015 World Cup [he wasn’t selected for fitness reasons] and now this one as well. I am going to consult with friends and family. My heart isn’t with cricket anymore.”

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