Mohammad Nabi inducted as member of Afghanistan Cricket Board

Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been inducted as one of the four new members of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). He will be the first active player to be part of the country’s cricket administration.

The decision might be a surprise to many people because the ACB did not specify any reason for his appointment in Thursday’s press release. Even Mohammad Nabi himself might not have been aware of this development because he was busy playing for the St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League when the release came out.

The three other additions were current Minister for Women's Affairs, Hasina Safi; Member of Parliament from Kandahar, Rohullah Khanzada, and senior advisor to the first vice-president of Afghanistan, Haroon Mir.

Mohammad Nabi was highly instrumental in Afghanistan’s rise as a cricket nation. He was the Player of the Match in the country’s first-ever ODI against Scotland in 2009, scoring a 64-ball 58. He was also a part of their inaugural Test match against India in 2018. Nabi, however, retired from Tests last year but continues to be a part of Afghanistan’s white-ball setup.

The release reads:

“The members who were replaced include Minister for Urban Development and Land Mohammad Jawad Paikdar, former Deputy Minister of Industries and Commerce Kamela Siddiqui, former Minister for Transport Hamid Tahmasi and former Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad Shukrullah Atif Mashal.”

Nabi will be holding office with 8 others

Mohammad Nabi was highly instrumental in Afghanistan’s rise as a cricket nation

The Afghanistan Cricket Board comprises nine members in total. Others include Board chairman Farhan Yusefzai, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Zia-ul-Haq Amarkheil, Senator Gulalai Noor Safi, former Deputy for Cultural Affairs at the Administrative Office of the President Faraidoon Elham and business tycoon Abdul Rahman Alokozay.

Mohammad Nabi was the captain in Afghanistan’s maiden appearances at the 2014 Asia Cup and the 2015 World Cup. He has played 3 Tests, 124 ODIs and 78 T2OIs, scoring 4,162 runs and picking 207 wickets in his international career.