Naveen-ul-Haq, Afghanistan’s star bowler, will miss the rest of the Asia Cup 2025 because of a shoulder injury. The medical staff has not given Naveen the all-clear to compete in the competition; instead, he will continue his recuperation, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said.
Interestingly, Naveen did not play in Afghanistan’s tournament opener versus Hong Kong. His most recent appearance occurred in June while playing for MI New York in the Major League Cricket (MLC). He had also missed the tri-series between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates earlier this month. Since then, the pacer has been battling a shoulder problem, therefore the ACB chose not to take the chance of him playing.
🚨 SQUAD UPDATE 🚨
Afghanistan’s veteran fast bowler, Naveen Ul Haq, has been ruled out of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025. He is still recovering from a shoulder injury and has not been declared fit by the ACB medical team to participate in the remaining matches. Naveen will… pic.twitter.com/Sz4rJyV6k5
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) September 15, 2025
Afghanistan names a substitute player.
Naveen has emerged as one of Afghanistan’s most dependable T20 bowlers since making his debut. He has taken 67 wickets at an average of 18.73 in 48 Twenty20 Internationals, with his best numbers being 4/20. He concluded with 13 wickets, including a game-winning burst against Australia, and played a pivotal role in Afghanistan’s journey to the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-finals. In franchise cricket, the pacer has also gained a lot of notoriety by participating in competitions such as the IPL, CPL, BPL, and LPL.
Abdullah Ahmadzai, a young fast bowler who was in the reserves, has replaced him in the team. In his most recent international match, Ahmadzai took one wicket in three overs against the United Arab Emirates.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, has had a strong start to their Asia Cup campaign.
With half-centuries from Azmatullah Omarzai and Sediqullah Atal, they defeated Hong Kong by 94 runs in Abu Dhabi. The team captained by Rashid Khan will next play Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium on September 16. To maintain their aspirations of making the Super Four, Bangladesh will need to win this match.
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