Naveen-ul-Haq Makes A Comeback As Afghanistan Name Strong World Cup Squad

Rashid Khan after loss against Bangladesh (Twitter)

In a significant turn of events, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced a strong 15-member squad for World Cup 2023. Hashmatullah Shahidi is the captain of the a side filled with quality international stars like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Also, the big news is that Naveen-ul-Haq has been included in the squad after being out of the ODI setup for a long time. The pacer grabbed plenty of eyeballs in IPL 2023 for his feud with Virat Kohli and it would be interesting to see how he goes about his business in ODI cricket.

The squad comprises of good blend of youth and experience. Afghanistan's stronger suit is their spin bowling department with Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmed in their ranks. Fazalhaq Farooqi has been their premier seamer for a long time now but with Naveen-ul-Haq added to the squad now, Afghan's pace attack has been added more teeth.

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The surprising exclusion from the squad is if Gulbadin Naib who did decently in the Asia Cup 2023 and gives depth to the side with his all-round skills. Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz will open for Afghanistan while Rahmat Shah, Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran form the core of the middle order. Nabi is also a crucial player with his all-round skills along with charismatic Rashid Khan.

Afghanistan's 15-member World Cup squad

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Rahmat Shah,  Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmed, Mujib Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq

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