Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi will be eligible to receive central contracts and play in franchise leagues around the world after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) modified sanctions against the trio on Monday. For the unversed, the ACB had revoked the NOCs of the three players last month after they had expressed their desire to be released from their central contracts to play for T20 franchises worldwide. The change in ACB's stance came after the three players in question approached the board with a "a strong desire to represent the country again".
The trio has been given a final warning and has suffered wage cuts from its monthly remuneration. A press release issued by the ACB specifies that the board, "may grant central contracts to these players while strictly monitoring their performance and discipline in events". "The players have undoubtedly contributed to the team’s success and have represented the nation to the best of their values. We hope that they avoid making similar inconveniences in the future as we expect them to represent the country in the best of manners," ACB chief Mirwais Ashraf said. "The ACB and the rules are above all of us and it’s important to adhere to the regulations because there are no exceptions for anyone in this regard. However, such cases of a similar nature would be dealt with more strictly as we prioritize the prestige of the Afghanistan Cricket and the organization," he added. Notably, Afghanistan's next assignment will see them lock horns with India on the latter's turf in a three-match T20I series starting January 11. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had sanctioned trio of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen ul Haq for wanting to opt out of the central contract and asking for No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in global T20 leagues , putting their participation in the Indian Premier League 2024 season in doubt.
