UAE captain Rohan Mustafa and two other players were suspended from international cricket for eight weeks by the Emirates Cricket Board for their outburst on social media over playing conditions during the Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Pakistan.

Mustafa, Ahmed Raza and Rameez Shahzad were suspended by the ECB, fined and warned about their conduct.

The UAE were close to qualification for the semi-finals of the tournament in Karachi earlier this month. However, rain ruined their chances in the final pool match against Hong Kong. Apparently, it was a brief spell of shower that rendered the ground unplayable after water seeped through the covers .

Later on, the players took to Twitter to express their anger. Mustafa blamed the poor facility at the Southend Stadium for the team’s predicament while Raza lambasted the ‘club level covers’. A win for UAE would have boosted their chances of a semi-final spot. However, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan to move ahead of UAE and qualify for the semis.

Later, the players deleted the tweets and apologised for their statements, thanking the Pakistan board for hosting the UAE team.

In a statement, the UAE board said: “Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza and Rameez Shahzad, had violated its Code of Conduct and requirements for the use of social media. As a result, each of the players have been suspended from international cricket for a period of eight weeks, fined and warned about their future conduct. ECB wishes to make clear that it takes the conduct and discipline of its players very seriously, and will not make any further comment on this matter.”