Afghanistan pace bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has been banned by the International League Twenty20 League (ILT20) for 20 months for breaching his player agreement with Sharjah Warriors who had signed him for Season 1 of the tournament.
Before the second season, Naveen was handed a retention notice by the team after taking 11 wickets at an average of 24.36 in nine matches. however, the player declined to sign. To try and fix the problem, the Sharjah Warriors went up to the ILT20.
By hiring an impartial third-party mediator and starting a mediation procedure between the player and the franchise, the competition authorities attempted to find a solution, but it did not turn out as planned.
Ultimately, the ILT20’s three-member Disciplinary Committee which included the league’s Chief Executive Officer David White, Head of Security and Anti-Corruption Azam and Member Emirates Cricket Board Zayed Abbas separately heard both the parties i.e. Naveen and Sharjah Warriors. After examining the evidence, the panel passed the verdict of a 20-month ban on Naveen.
“We do not take pride in making this announcement but all parties are expected to comply with their contractual commitments and recognise that non-compliance can cause damage to the other party. Unfortunately, Naveen-ul-Haq failed to honour his contractual obligations with the Sharjah Warriors and as such the league had no option but to impose this 20-month ban on him,” said CEO ILT20 David White in a statement released on Monday.
“The disciplinary proceedings against Naveen were conducted in a transparent manner and both parties involved were given opportunities to prepare and present their submissions,” it further added.
Naveen-ul-Haq's ban will stretch to August 2025, which will cause him to miss the next two seasons of the ILT20. The second season of the competition has been scheduled to take place in the 2024 January-February window in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Naveen-ul-Haq announced his retirement from 50-over cricket with ODI World Cup 2023 as his final ODI tournament. However, the ban will not prevent the Afghani player from participating in other overseas leagues.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants retained Naveen ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction. Naveen is next likely to feature in Afghanistan's tour of India in January 2024, which includes three T20Is.