Afghanistan opener Usman Ghani has decided to take a break from international cricket, citing alleged corruption within the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). The 26-year-old expressed his frustration after being left out of the Afghanistan team for the recent series against Bangladesh.
Ghani, who last represented Afghanistan in March against Pakistan, scoring 7 and 15, has been vocal about the current state of affairs within the ACB. He claimed that despite his efforts to meet with officials and seek clarification on his exclusion, he received no satisfactory response.
Having made his international debut in 2014, Ghani has played 11 T20I innings over the past two years, averaging 23.50 with a strike rate of 99.15. However, he lost his place in the 50-over format in 2022 and has never been considered for Test cricket.
In a significant move, the Afghanistan team has replaced Ghani with experienced wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Shahzad. Shahzad, who had been absent from international cricket for 19 months, returned after improving his fitness and consistently performing well in domestic matches.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to take a break from Afghanistan Cricket. The corrupt leadership in the cricket board has compelled me to step back. I will continue my hard work and eagerly await the right management and selection committee to be put in place,” Ghani tweeted.
“Once that happens, I will proudly return to play for Afghanistan. Until then, I am backing myself from representing my beloved nation. Despite multiple visits, I couldn’t meet the chairman as he remained unavailable. Moreover, the chief selector had no satisfactory response for my exclusion from all formats,” he added.
After careful consideration, I have decided to take a break from Afghanistan Cricket. The corrupt leadership in the cricket board has compelled me to step back. I will continue my hard work and eagerly await the right management and selection committee to be put in place. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/lGWQUDdIwJ
— Usman Ghani (@IMUsmanGhani87) July 3, 2023
Afghanistan squad for Bangladesh T20Is: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Sediq Atal, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Wafadar Momand, Farid Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
