Shahzad's contract suspended for indefinite period by Afghanistan cricket board

The Afghanistan Cricket Board on Saturday suspended the contract of wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad for an indefinite period for breaching its Code of Conduct. According to an ACB release, Shahzad did not adhere to a policy that requires players to seek the board's permission for travelling out of the country.

"As per ACB's policies, any player travelling out of the country is required to seek the permission of ACB. Shahzad has not adhered to this, repetitively," the ACB said. The board said Shahzad has also breached its Code of Conduct previously and was recently called for questioning by the ACB Discipline Committee in relation to a disciplinary matter during the ICC Cricket World Cup.

The ACB indicated that further sanctions may come against Shahzad later in the month. "Mohammad Shahzad did not attend meetings scheduled with the Discipline Committee on 20th and 25th of the last month. The Discipline Committee will meet after Eid-ul Adha holidays to assess the breaches by Mohammad Shahzad and make a decision to be publicized soon," the board release said.

Shahzad spent his early years in Pakistan's Peshawar as he was born in a refugee camp there. He has courted controversy in the past also. Last year, he was found to be in breach of ACB's Code of Conduct when he played in a local Peshawar tournament, and was asked to reside permanently in Afghanistan or risk having his contract terminated.

In June, he was sent back home early from the World Cup in UK, ostensibly with a knee injury, but the wicketkeeper-batsman insisted he was fit and claimed he had been unfairly left out. "ACB has well-equipped training and practice facilities within the country and Afghan players do not require to travel abroad for such purposes," the ACB said.

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