Afghanistan Cricket Board hand one-year suspension to chief selector and team manager

The controversial duo of Dawlat Ahmadzai and Naweed Sayem have been handed one-year suspensions by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) following the team's disastrous showing at the World Cup, which saw them lose all nine matches they played. 

Prior to the start of the World Cup, Ahmadzai took the controversial decision of stripping long time skipper Asghar Afghan off captaincy, and instead appointed different captains for different formats, with Gulbadin Naib appointed as the ODI captain. The move was publicly criticized by Afghanistan's star players Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, who took to Twitter to express their outrage. 

Following a board meeting at Kabul on Saturday, the decision was taken to suspend the duo - which included team manager Sayem, who was also suspended for the team's poor conduct during the World Cup, which saw the players getting involved in a restaurant brawl in Manchester. Earlier, the ACB suspended pacer Aftab Alam for one year, who was called back home during the latter stages of the tournament under "exceptional circumstances". 

“The board members decided that it was necessary to suspend a few people, who played a role in the team’s poor outing in England. It’s a matter of great seriousness for us,” a Board member was quoted as saying by Sportstar. 

It has also been revealed that the board indeed sacked former acting CEO, Asadullah Khan, who was initially thought to have resigned from his position. The ACB have appointed Lutfullah Stanikzai as the new CEO, while former national coach, Andy Moles is set to temporarily look after the selection process. 

The Board officials also confirmed that no decision has been taken regarding the appointment of a new head coach, with former coach Phil Simmons informing that he will not continue post the World Cup, with his contract set to end on July 15tth.