Afghanistan pick Naveen-ul-Haq for World Cup 2023

Naveen-ul-Haq, who hasn’t played an ODI since February 2021, has been included in the Afghanistan squad for the 50-over World Cup. The right-arm seamer took a break from ODIs last year but is now back to add more to his seven-ODI tally.

Naveen, who has claimed 14 wickets in those seven games at an average of 25.42, has been playing T20 cricket all around the world and will form a pace attack along with Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman and Azmatullah Omarzai.

Omarzai also missed the Asia Cup due to a side strain but is now fit and will add depth to Afghanistan’s batting and bowling. Afghanistan have picked four spinners - Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad - in their 15-man squad. 

Gulbadin Naib and Sharafuddin Ashraf, who featured in the Asia Cup, have been named in the reserves. Fareed Ahmad will also be travelling as one of the reserves. Meanwhile, Karim Janat and Mohammad Saleem have been left out of the set-up. 

Afghanistan’s top-five also looks sorted, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran expected to do the majority of the scoring.

Afghanistan will commence their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Dharamsala on October 7 before travelling to Delhi to face India on October 11. Their last league game is against South Africa in Ahmedabad on November 10.

Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil,Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-Ul-Haq.

Reserves: Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fareed Ahmad.