Afghanistan cricket board prematurely sacks CEO after 'misbehaviour' & 'poor performance'

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday abruptly sacked its Chief Executive Officer Lutfullah Stanikzai over mismanagement, unsatisfactory performance and misbehaviour with managers. According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, ACB chairman Farhan Yusefzai wrote a letter that confirmed the termination of the Stanikzai contract two years before his contract expires. 

Also Read: Rashid Khan's 1st 20-min Session In The Nets Against David Warner Made Him An SRH Regular

Afghanistan Cricket statement on sacking CEO 

As per the report, Afghanistan Cricket Board in its release said that Stanikzai was sacked due to ignorance in his responsibilities and despite being warned verbally and in writing in the past. The board also said it would advertise for the vacancy soon.

Also Read: Rashid Khan Says He Will Get Hitched Only When Afghanistan Wins The Cricket World Cup

Stanikzai, in his defense, said he was surprised by the development and first found out about it from social media and not by any communication from the Afghanistan Cricket Board. He said he had spoken to Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhail, the state minister for parliamentary affairs, who sits on the ACB Board and even he was not aware.

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Stanikzai, who had served previously as a media manager, was hired as the CEO on a three-year contract in July last year immediately after Afghanistan's dismal performance at the 2019 World Cup where they finished last in the 10-team tournament without a single win.

Also Read: IPL GC Reveals More Details On Hosting Event In UAE, Set To Meet Franchises On Sunday

Afghanistan cricket stars set for IPL 2020 

The Afghanistan players are yet to get a taste of international cricket due to global COVID-19 pandemic. But their wait will soon come to an end with the IPL 2020 being scheduled for a September start. According to the latest IPL 2020 dates, the tournament is scheduled to begin on September 19 with the final being held on November 8. The window for IPL 2020 was only created after the ICC decided to postpone the T20 World Cup in Australia until next year due to global COVID-19 issues.

Afghanistan cricketers like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rehman will be action for their respective franchises in the upcoming edition. Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi were retained by the 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2020 auction, whereas Mujeeb ur Rahman was retained by Kings XI Punjab.

Tom Moody on how Rashid Khan was the man to watch out in IPL

Recently, former SRH coach Tom Moody revealed about how he was convinced that the team had found a gem in form of Rashid Khan. While speaking to Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz, Tom Moody revealed that he got a couple of senior players including David Warner to face the leg spinner in the nets and within 20 minutes, he was convinced that Rashid Khan was the man to watch out for in the IPL. Moody reckoned that when he noticed the level of competitiveness in Rashid Khan, he realized that 'this kid is ready to go’.

(COVER IMAGE: AFGHANISTAN CRICKET / TWITTER)