Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has announced that he will retire from ODIs after the end of the forthcoming ODI World Cup in India. The tournament is set to commence on October 5 with the final set to be played on November 19. Having made his international debut in 2016, Naveen has so far represented Afghanistan in seven ODIs and picked up 14 wickets at an average of 25.42 in his career so far. However, despite being just 24 years of age, Naveen feels that his decision to step down from 50 overs cricket will help him prolong his T20 career.
Naveen isn’t the first cricketer to take such a step, England’s Ben Stokes among a few prominent names had also announced his retirement from ODIs but has made a comeback for this World Cup, keeping in mind the interests of his team.
“It has been an absolute honour to represent my country and I would like to announce my retirement from the ODI format at end of this World Cup and will continue to wear this blue jersey in T20 cricket for my country,” he said in a message on social media.
“It hasn’t been an easy decision to make but to prolong my playing career, I had to take this tough decision would like to thank the Afghanistan Cricket Board and all my fans for their support and unwavering love,” he added.
Take a look at his Instagram post here:
Afghanistan are set to begin their ICC Men’s World Cup campaign against Bangladesh at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala in Dharamsala on October 7. They will lock horns with hosts India on October 11 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Afghanistan Squad For World Cup 2023:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq
