Sydney Thunder terminate Fazalhaq Farooqi's contract on behavioral grounds
Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Sydney Thunder have terminated Afghanistan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi's deal on behavioral grounds. The left-arm seamer had played only one match for the franchise before the incident came to light.
The Thunder informed that the club received a complaint about the youngster's behavior following an incident on Thursday and referred it to Cricket Australia (CA) for investigation.
Following the investigation process and a subsequent hearing and ruling by a CA conduct commissioner, the franchise decided to discontinue the 22-year-old's contract.
A big welcome to Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi, who will be joining the #ThunderNation for the #BBL12 season, following his exceptional performance in the World T20 Cup & Asia Cup tournament 🤩 https://t.co/DlWh4i3jkd
Cricket NSW CEO Lee Germon addressed the incident stating:
"The behaviors displayed by Fazalhaq Farooqi sit outside our values and it was determined that his contract be terminated. Our focus now is providing the necessary support to those affected by this incident."
Nevertheless, a CA statement underlined that the details of the said incident were confidential and refused to disclose it in detail. The left-arm quick's first game in the BBL was against the Melbourne Stars.
He starred in the Thunder's one-wicket win, returning with figures of 4-0-20-2 in the first innings to restrict the opposition to 122 in 20 overs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi played three more matches before the announcement of the termination of contract
Farooqi, signed up as a replacement for David Willey, had played three more games for the franchise between the incident and the announcement of his contract termination.
In their staggering 124-run loss to the Adelaide Strikers in Sydney, the 22-year-old bagged figures of 4-0-20-3 and stayed unbeaten on one run with the bat.
Just Fazal things 🦵 #BBL12 https://t.co/J6gU11ND4C
However, he went wicketless in the next two matches against the Melbourne Renegades and in a rematch with the Strikers.
The Afghan pacer came to the spotlight after a promising show in the 2022 T20 World Cup, especially against Australia. Facing the defending champions, he conceded only 29 runs in four overs while dismissing the likes of Matthew Wade and Cameron Green.