Afghanistan opener takes break, accuses 'corrupt' cricket board of mismanagement

Usman Ghani, Afghanistan's opening batter, has expressed his discontent with the current state of affairs within the country's cricket board. After being overlooked for selection in the upcoming bilateral series against Bangladesh, Ghani has decided to take a break from the game.

In a scathing criticism of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), he labeled the board's leadership as "corrupt" and stated that he would consider returning to the team once there are changes in management, as the current chief selector failed to provide an explanation for his exclusion from the squad.

Ghani took to Twitter to voice his concerns, shedding light on the current situation within the ACB. He revealed that despite his efforts to meet the board's chairman on multiple occasions, he was unable to do so.

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

Moreover, the chief selector had no satisfactory response for my exclusion from all formats. 3/3

— Usman Ghani (@IMUsmanGhani87) July 3, 2023

"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 expressed in a series of tweets.

He added, "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."

Ghani also criticized the chief selector for failing to provide a satisfactory response regarding his exclusion from all formats of the game.

With 17 ODIs and 35 T20Is under his belt, Ghani has been a valuable player for Afghanistan. His most recent appearance for the national team was in the T20I series against Pakistan on March 27 in Sharjah. Ghani's last ODI match was in January 2022 against the Netherlands.

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