Naveen-ul-Haq shares cryptic post following ACB's sanctions

The Afghanistan Cricket Board released a statement, announcing that they would delay awarding a central contract and not issue NOCs to Naveen.

By Chandra Moulee Das Updated: Dec 27, 2023, 19:46 IST

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After facing sanctions from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), Naveen-ul-Haq shared a cryptic message on social media. On December 25, the ACB issued a statement, revealing a postponement in the allocation of central contracts and a refusal to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

These three cricketers, known for their regular participation in various franchise-based T20 leagues worldwide, had expressed their intention to opt out of the annual central contract starting from January 1, 2024. In response, the ACB took disciplinary measures against the trio.

“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,” read the ACB release.

The ACB established a committee to investigate the matter and provide “recommendations that best serve the ACB’s interests”.

Naveen responds to ACB sanctions

The committee concluded, among other decisions, to refrain from awarding contracts to Naveen, Farooqi and Mujeeb for a duration of one year, commencing January 1, 2024 and nullifying all their active NOCs.

This effectively prohibits their participation in any T20 league until their retirement. Currently, Afghanistan is engaged in a tour of the UAE, featuring two fifty-over matches and three T20Is. However, none of the aforementioned players have been selected for the tour. Notably, Naveen has retired from ODIs and presumably from the format too.

Just days after ACB's decisions, Naveen posted the following Instagram story: “It’s a normal and a common thing truth comes out late and lies spread around faster than fire”.

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The meaning of the cryptic message and but can be dubbed as a response to the recent sanctions.

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