A contract disagreement with the Afghanistan Cricket Board will see the star spinner miss tonight's clash against the Stars
Mujeeb withdrawn from derby as 'Gades seek clarity from ACB
Melbourne Renegades star spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman will miss the Melbourne derby, and his availability for the rest of the KFC BBL season is up in the air, after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) withdrew their clearance for him to play in tonight's match against the Stars.
Renegades' officials are in talks with their ACB counterparts to seek more clarity over Mujeeb's eligibility for the remainder of the tournament after a change to his No Objection Certificate (NOC) conditions made him unavailable for the clash at the MCG.
Mujeeb, along with fast bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi, have been sanctioned by the ACB after the trio asked to be released from their Afghanistan central contracts from January 1.
The sanctions included not being granting NOCs to play T20 leagues around the world for the next two years and revoking any NOCs they currently possess.
The three players will also not be eligible to receive a central contract for one year and ACB will decide on their selection for the national side when needed.
"The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritising their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility," the ACB said in a statement last week.
"By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players."
Naveen and Farooqi were both selected in the first two T20s of Afghanistan's ongoing three-match series against the UAE, with Mujeeb left out of the squad, instead playing for the Renegades against the Scorchers on December 26 and Strikers on December 29.
At that point, the Renegades said they had not received any communication from the ACB that prevented Mujeeb from playing for the club.
The club is hopeful of resolving the situation before their next match on January 4 against Hobart Hurricanes.
The 22-year-old right-armer has been the 'Gades best bowler so far this season with seven wickets at an economy rate of 7.47 and will be a huge loss for the club if he is unavailable for the rest of the campaign as they try to make a late season push towards finals.
Mujeeb was initially expected to be available for the first nine games of the regular season before joining the Gulf Giants in the UAE T20 league.
The Renegades will also be without English opener Joe Clarke for the Melbourne derby after the right-hander strained his quad while running between the wickets in their win over the Adelaide Strikers.
The 27-year-old retired hurt on 20 before returning to the crease after the fall of the fifth wicket, adding another eight runs to help the 'Gades to their first win of the season.
Clarke was due to undergo scans today to determine the severity of the injury and whether he will be able to return in BBL|13.
Captain Nic Maddinson is back in the mix after being dropped for the game against the Strikers, while English top-order batter Jordan Cox – the club's fourth overseas signing for BBL|13 – has been included in the Renegades' 16-player squad and is in line to play his first game of the season.
Kane Richardson, who was a late out due to management against the Strikers, also trained fully with the squad yesterday and will be available for selection.
Tonight's game will be Adam Zampa's first against his old side following the off-season trade between the two clubs for the leg-spinner and wicketkeeper Sam Harper.
KFC BBL|13 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.972 | 0 | 16 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.339 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.725 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STR
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
HUR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.268 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
STA
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -1.051 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -0.288 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.652 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
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