‘Corrupt leadership has compelled me to step back’ – Usman Ghani takes break from playing for Afghanistan

Usman Ghani and Rahmat Shah. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Afghanistan opener Usman Ghani has expressed his disappointment with Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and decided to take a step back from representing the national team ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup.

Notably, the 26-year-old could not find a place in the Afghanistan team in the recent away series against Bangladesh. Soon after that he lashed out at the officials, highlighting the current state of affairs in the governing body. Ghani said that he tried to meet the officials to understand why he was excluded from all three formats but it did not bear any fruit.

“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 tweeted.

“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. Moreover, the chief selector had no satisfactory response for my exclusion from all formats,” he added.

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

Ghani has presented Afghanistan in 17 ODI and 35 T20I matches, scoring 435 and 786 runs respectively. He has played 20 first-class matches, scoring 1456 runs at an average of 39.35 while he has 1340 runs to his name at an average of 29.77 in List A cricket. He has played in the Bangladesh Premier League previously but did not make much impact.