ILT20 ban Noor Ahmad for 12 months for contract breach

After playing for Sharjah Warriors in the inaugural edition, Ahmad chose to play in the SA20 this time around for Durban Super Giants, opting against signing a retention notice

William Comish | 20/02/2024 at 17:28

Noor Ahmad has been banned from next year's ILT20 for breaching his contract with the competition.

After playing for Sharjah Warriors, Ahmad, 19, chose to play in the SA20 this time around for Durban Super Giants, opting against signing a retention notice.

He was subsequently suspended from next year's tournament.

After the retention notice – "on the same terms and conditions in accordance with the Player Agreement terms," according to the ILT20 statement – had been declined ahead of the second season, Sharjah Warriors went to the league to intervene.

A statement from the ILT20 said: "The committee had initially recommended a 20-month ban but took into consideration the fact that Noor was a minor at the time of signing the Player Agreement and has represented to the committee that his agent had not informed him of the full terms of contract and as such pardoned eight months from his original ban."

noor200201

^{Noor Ahmad represented Durban Super Giants in the SA20 (R.Satish Babu/AFP via Getty Images)}

He took 11 wickets for Warriors in his debut campaign with them in 2023, but the side managed just three wins in their 10 group games.

Fellow countryman Naveen-ul-Haq was similarly banned for refusing to sign a retention notice with Sharjah Warriors in December 2023, also choosing to play for the Durban Super Giants. He was met with a 20-month ban from the tournament and was effectively outcast for this winter's tournament.

In featuring for the Super Giants in the SA20 instead of the ILT20, which runs almost concurrently alongside it, Ahmad had to miss the knockout stage of the tournament to play for Afghanistan on their tour of Sri Lanka.