(MENAFN- Daily Outlook Afghanistan) KABUL - The Afghanistan CricketBoard (ACB) has order probe into fast bowler Aftab Alam's hotel incident andsuspended team manager Naved Sayem, a media reporter said on Sunday.
It has emerged that Aftab Alamwas sent back home from the World Cup following allegations of seriousmisbehaviour with a female guest at the Southampton hotel the team was stayingin.
At the time, the ICC had saidthat Alam was being sent back under "exceptional circumstances", butthe Afghanistan Cricket Board later confirmed that it was for a "breach ofICC's disciplinary code of conduct".
That, ESPNcricinfo understands,wasn't the only occasion when Alam ran into trouble during the tournament - hewas removed by the security from a hospitality suite during the India-Pakistangame in Manchester too.
While pulling up Alam, the ACBalso suspended team manager Naved Sayem, while asking the board's disciplinarycommittee to conduct a probe into the Alam hotel incident and submit its reportwithin a week. Alam was suspended as soon as the ACB decided to remove him fromthe World Cup squad - made official on June 27.
The latest development came atthe ACB's annual general meeting, held in Kabul, today. "The disciplinarycommittee has already been assigned to carry out the investigation in the Alamincident and asked to submit the report in a week," Atif Mashal, an ACBboard member, told ESPNcricinfo.
Mashal said Sayem was foundguilty of not reporting the incident "properly". "He was foundto hide things from the ACB. That is why it was decided to suspend him andinvestigate. As for the player (Alam), we will formalise the sanction againsthim once the disciplinary committee submits its report."
It is understood that the ICC'santi-corruption unit (ACU) has concluded its investigation on Alam, finding himguilty of inappropriate behaviour, and has sent its report to the ACB to takeaction against the player.
Alam's last game in the WorldCup was on June 22, against India, when Afghanistan fell short in their chaseof India's 224 for 8 by 11 runs. He took a wicket and was then bowled for aduck. Incidentally, the team hotel where the alleged incident took place isinside Hampshire Bowl, where the Afghanistan squad was staying for their groupmatches against India and Bangladesh.
It is believed that the ACU gotthe Afghanistan squad to assemble at the team hotel in Southampton on June 23morning, but Alam wasn't present. He wasn't in his room either, and it emergedthat he was with a relative in London. Alam is understood to have returnedlater in the day, but Phil Simmons, Afghanistan's head coach, suspended him fortwo matches for not being present at the ACU meeting. Alam was told he couldnot even participate in the practice sessions for those games.
In the earlier game betweenIndia and Pakistan at Old Trafford, Alam turned up at the game unannounced andrequested VIP access for himself and his friends. Using his player'saccreditation pass, he made his way to one of the hospitality rooms and thenrefused to leave. When security was summoned, his friends left but Alam stayed.Eventually, however, security was called and he was removed.
Action against senior ACBofficials too
In an unconnected development,two senior ACB officials - acting chief executive Asadullah Khan and DawlatAhmadzai, former chief selector - who were found guilty of separate offences,are also going to be investigated by a panel comprising three board members,Mashal confirmed, saying that a "serious" decision had been taken onthat front too.
Asadullah has been charged withbreaching the ACB constitution and policies on various decisions he took aftertaking charge recently. Ahmadzai was pulled up for taking controversialdecisions in squad selection for the World Cup. Ahmadzai, who was shifted tothe junior selection panel midway into the World Cup, took controversialdecision to replace Ashgar Afghan as the ODI captain with Gulbadin Naib, whilealso removing Afghan from the leadership of the Test and T20I teams.
"A three-member committeecomprising board members will conduct the investigation for the variousbreaches (by Asadullah and Ahmadzai)," Mashal said. (Pajhwok)
MENAFN0807201901750000ID1098734425
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.