Another pacer, Abdullah Ahmadzai, has been called up as a replacement.
Afghanistan suffered a setback ahead of their Asia Cup clash with Bangladesh. Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. Another pacer, Abdullah Ahmadzai, has been called up as a replacement.
In a statement on Monday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said Naveen has not yet fully recovered from a shoulder injury. He will continue intensive treatment and rehabilitation until he regains full fitness.
Naveen was not part of Afghanistan’s playing XI in their first match of the Asia Cup. The 25-year-old last played for Afghanistan in December 2024 in a T20I against Zimbabwe. In his international career so far, he has taken 67 wickets in 48 T20Is for his country.
Earlier this year, he played in South Africa’s SA20 for the Durban Super Giants, taking five wickets in eight matches. In June, he picked up eight wickets in five games for MI New York in Major League Cricket in the USA.
Ahmadzai, who comes in for Naveen, was initially in Afghanistan’s reserve list for the Asia Cup. Before the tournament began, he was part of a tri-nation series in the UAE, where he made his international debut against the hosts. In that match, the 22-year-old pacer claimed one wicket for 31 runs in his three overs.
Besides Ahmadzai, Afghanistan’s Asia Cup squad also includes two specialist pacers — Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad. The team also has three pace-bowling allrounders — Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat.
Afghanistan started their campaign with a 94-run win over Hong Kong. They face Bangladesh on Tuesday, followed by their final group-stage match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
The top two teams from the four-team group will qualify for the Super Four.
