Why is Naveen-ul-Haq not playing for Afghanistan in T20 World Cup 2026?

Afghanistan announced their squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 on December 30. The right-arm pacer was included in the 15-member squad, but Why is Naveen-ul-Haq not playing for Afghanistan in T20 World Cup 2026? He is sidelined as he has a stress fracture in his right shoulder and will have surgery in the UK.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) named Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, who was in the reserve pool, as his replacement. The left-arm fast bowler Farid Ahmad Malik has been added to the reserve pool.

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T20 Specialist Naveen-ul-Haq Leaves Big Gap for Afghanistan

Naveen-ul-Haq not playing for Afghanistan in T20 World Cup 2026 will affect the team's qualification chances. He retired from the ODI format after the ODI World Cup 2023 to focus on T20Is and franchise league cricket.

In T20Is, he has played 48 matches, taking 67 wickets with an economy of 7.78. He was part of the T20 World Cup 2024, where he took 13 wickets in eight matches. He played an important role in helping Afghanistan reach the semi-finals.

Afghanistan will have Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai as their two pacers, but they will miss the quality and experience of Naveen-ul-Haq.

Rashid Khan will be the captain of Afghanistan's team for the T20 World Cup 2026. They will face New Zealand on February 8 in Chennai for their campaign opener.

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