The Afghanistan national players, currently participating in the edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), have been allowed to continue playing in the tournament till its conclusion.
In a statement, CPL said: “The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) extends its thanks to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) for ensuring that the Afghan players who are taking part in this year’s tournament have been able to stay until the conclusion of the event.”
The six Afghan players taking part in the CPL this season are Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Najibullah Zadran and Zahir Khan, all of whom were due to take part in the Shpageeza Cricket League, Afghanistan’s domestic T20 competition which begins on September 6 while the CPL final is scheduled for September 10.
Rashid represents Barbados Tridents who have been knocked out of contention for a last-four berth. Mujeeb plays for Jamaica Tallawahs who have made it to the semifinals as have St Lucia Zouks who have three Afghanistan players in their ranks – Nabi, Zahir and Zadran. Naveen’s team Guyana Amazon Warriors have also booked their place in the final four.
Pete Russell, CPL’s COO, said: “We understand the importance of the Shpageeza Cricket League to the ACB and the reasons why it had to be scheduled during the CPL after the NOCs were all issued.”
“We truly appreciate the Chairman of the ACB allowing these six Afghan players to stay at the CPL until its conclusion. Afghan players have had a huge impact on our competition, both this season and in previous years, and we are very grateful to have them with us until the final on September 10.
“I would also like to put on record our thanks to CWI’s President and CEO for taking the time to resolve this situation, which has shone a light on the issues leagues such as CPL face with the current NOC policy and system,” he added.
