Naveen Ul Haq has been ruled out of the ongoing ACC Asia Cup due to shoulder injury
Abdollah Ahmadzai has been named his replacement in the squad
Afghanistan beat Hong Kong by 94 runs in their only game of the Asia Cup so far
Afghanistan medium pacer Naveen Ul Haq has been ruled out of the ongoing ACC Asia Cup due to shoulder injury, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) stated on Monday. Abdollah Ahmadzai has been named his replacement in the squad.
Naveen was picked in the 15-man squad for Afghanistan but could not make the Playing XI in their only game of the competition so far. ACB wished a speedy recovery to the speedster.
"The ACB wishes Naveen Ul Haq a speedy recovery and extends its best wishes to Abdullah Ahmadzai for the matches ahead," the board said in a statement on Monday (September 15).
"Naveen will continue to undergo intensive treatment and rehabilitation until he is fully fit," the statement added.
Ahmadzai recently made his debut in the UAE tri-series where Afghanistan lost to Pakistan in the final. The pacer was in the list of reserves for the Asia Cup and with Naveen's injury he advances to the main squad. In the only T20I he has played so far, Ahmadzai took 1 for 31 in three overs against UAE.
Afghanistan Asia Cup Squad 2025
Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Farid Malik, Naveen-ul-Haq, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Afghanistan in Asia Cup 2025
Afghanistan have only played one match so far in this tournament. Afghanistan beat Hong Kong by 94 runs in that match.
Rashid Khan's men overcame early hiccups thanks to Sediqullah Atal’s unbeaten 73 and skipper Mohammad Nabi’s 33, before Azmatullah Omarzai stole the show.
The all-rounder smashed a record 20-ball fifty, fastest for Afghanistan in T20Is, and powered Afghanistan to a formidable 188/6.
With only two batters reaching double figures, Hong Kong stumbled to 94/9 in 20 overs, leading to an emphatic Afghanistan victory.
Afghanistan take field on Tuesday against Bangladesh before ending their group campaign against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
