Afghanistan Cricket Board sacks chief executive officer Hamid Shinwari
Afghanistan Cricket Board has sacked their chief executive officer Hamid Shinwari on Monday, September 20. Allegedly a group of people from Haqqani network entered the office and ordered that the CEO must be replaced as they appointed Naseebullah Khan as the new CEO of Afghanistan Cricket Board.
Shinwari had been the international administrative face of the ACB since the violent takeover of the country by the Taliban last month. He made a plea to the world cricket community not to isolate Afghan cricket after Australia decided not to host Afghanistan in a Test because of the country's treatment of women in public life and in the sporting arena.
"Yesterday I was fired," Shinwari told Cricbuzz on Tuesday, September 21.
It is learnt that a group of people belonging to the Haqqani network, a partner in the Afghanistan government, is behind the sacking of the Shinwari.
Meanwhile, the ACB continues to be headed by Azizullah Fazli, who took over as chairman of the board immediately after the change of government.
Afghanistan cricket has been witnessing changes on the playing field too. Rashid Khan, one of the biggest stars from the country, resigned from the team captaincy protesting the selection of the national team for next month's T20 World Cup. Senior all-rounder Mohammad Nabi was appointed as the captain later amid allegations that chairman Fazli had interfered in the selection of some veterans, who are believed to be past their prime.