Right-arm fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, who has not featured in an ODI since early 2021, finds a spot in Afghanistan’s squad for the World Cup in India. All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, who missed the Asia Cup due to a side strain, has also returned to the side.
Naveen has played seven ODIs, the last of them against Ireland on January 26, 2021. He holds an impressive record of 14 wickets with an economy rate of 5.78.
Afghanistan have made four changes to the squad picked for the Asia Cup. Their reserve players include all-rounders Gulbadin Naib and Sharafuddin Ashraf. Both were part of the Asia Cup squad. Also among the reserves is Fareed Ahmad, who participated in the series against Pakistan.
Afghanistan’s World Cup campaign commences against Bangladesh in Dharamsala on October 7, followed by a clash against India in Delhi on October 11. This will be Afghanistan’s third appearance in the 50-over World Cup.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen Ul Haq.