Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman out of Melbourne Renegades squad as NOC changes kick in

Afghanistan international Mujeeb Ur Rahman was removed from the Melbourne Renegades squad for their Big Bash League clash against Melbourne Stars. This comes after a “ change to his No-Objection Certificate (NOC) conditions ”. Apart from Mujeeb, fast bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazal Haq Farooqi were also sanctioned by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) after they were willing to be left out of the central contracts list for 2024. The sanctions included no NOCs for the Afghan trio for T20 tournaments for the next two years. “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 a statement shared by the ACB. Melbourne Renegades issued a statement announcing Mujeeb’s absence from the team. “Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been removed from the squad after a change to his NOC conditions made him unavailable for the match,” read the statement. An ESPNCricinfo report claimed that Naveen and Farooqi approached the ACB and “demonstrated a strong desire to represent their country again”. Eventually, they were included in the Afghanistan squad for the T20I series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Mujeeb, however, was not named in the squad. Mujeeb was in stunning form in Melbourne Renegades’ solitary victory of the season against Adelaide Strikers. The 22-year-old spinner picked up three wickets in that game conceding 20 runs in his four overs, paving the way for Renegades’ four-wicket victory. Meanwhile, the T20I series between Afghanistan and UAE is currently poised 1-1. The Afghan cricket team kicked off the series with a 72-run win over UAE. The second fixture of the series went in favour of UAE with the Afghans conceding a 11-run defeat. The third and final match, which is a potential series-decider is scheduled to be played tonight at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.