Aug 29 – On Sunday, Afghanistan unveiled its 17-man roster for the Asia Cup. The squad had four changes from the team that faced Pakistan in a three-match One-Day International series, which they lost 3-0. Fareed Ahmad, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shahidullah Kamal, and Wafadar Momand were discarded, while Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, and Sharafuddin Ashraf were added.
Pacer Naveen ul Haq is also missing from the squad. The supporters were expecting a showdown between Virat Kohli and Naveen ul Haq, but the pacer did not make the Asia Cup squad, leaving them disappointed. Notably, during an IPL 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants, Naveen ul Haq and Virat Kohli got into a furious altercation. Naveem continued to poke fun at Virat Kohli via mysterious social media posts.
Meanwhile, following a snub from the Asia Cup team, Naveen ul Haq posted a strange message on his Instagram account. “No matter how well your eyes adjust to darkness, you’ll never mistake it for light,” Naveen wrote.
The specific cause for Naveen ul Haq’s absence is unknown, but the pacer would miss the travel to Sri Lanka due to an ailment. Naveen replaced Nijat Masood in the T20I series against Bangladesh since he was scheduled to undergo knee surgery in England.
The top selector of the Afghanistan Cricket Board then announced that the bowler would be out for at least two weeks. “He (Naveen) is expected to be out of commission for two months.” Naveen will now try to make the Afghanistan World Cup squad.
On September 3, Afghanistan will kick off their Asia Cup campaign against Bangladesh.