Before the T20 World Cup 2026, the Afghanistan cricket team has suffered a major blow. The reason behind this is that one of the team’s star bowlers has been ruled out of the tournament. This bowler is none other than Naveen Ul Haq, who is Afghanistan’s premium pacer.
Afghanistan’s star pacer ruled out of T20 World Cup due to injury
Due to a shoulder injury, he will not be a part of the Afghanistan team in the T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka and the 3-match T20 series against West Indies to be played this month. Afghanistan’s team for the T20 World Cup has already been announced, in which Naveen Ul Haq was also included. However, his replacement has also been announced by the board.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has informed that according to the latest medical report, Naveen Ul Haq still has a stress fracture in his right shoulder. Because the injury has not fully healed and the player is experiencing pain, the board has sent him to the United Kingdom for specialized medical treatment. Due to the recovery timeline, Naveen Ul Haq will miss the three-match T20I series against the West Indies and the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The selection committee has included Zia-ur-Rehman Sharifi in the main squad for this T20 series and the T20 World Cup in place of Naveen Ul Haq. He was previously part of the reserve list. Additionally, experienced fast bowler Farid Malik has been included in the team’s reserve list. It’s certain that Afghanistan will miss Naveen, as he is considered a key bowler for Afghanistan. He has experience and has played a significant amount of cricket in Indian conditions, including the IPL, where he has played dozens of matches in India.
Afghanistan squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Rashid Khan (captain), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Zia ur Rehman Sharifi, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Umarzai, Mujeeb ur Rehman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran.
Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ejaz Ahmadzai and Farid Malik.
