The Afghanistan national team has not yet announced the replacement for its fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq; However, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have left MICT and Paarl Royals to join the Afghanistan squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
The ICC T20 World Cup is knocking at every team’s door, and they are getting ready to play the final preparation bilateral matches before heading to India and Sri Lanka for this prestigious tournament. Afghanistan have scheduled a series against West Indies.
This series is a three-match T20I series which will start from January 19 and will be played till January 22 at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in Sharjah. West Indies have not yet revealed their squad for the tournament, while Afghanistan have suffered a number of injuries.
Naveen-ul-Haq out of ICC T20 World Cup due to surgery; ACB will change name
Afghanistan’s fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has been ruled out of the three-match T20 series against West Indies next week. He will not be able to return for the series which ends on January 22, which means he will also miss the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
As per ESPNcricinfo report, the fast bowler who overturned his international retirement will undergo surgery later this month, and hence, the ACB will have to announce a replacement for him in the T20 World Cup squad, which will tour India next month.
He last played for Afghanistan in December 2024 and then missed the Asia Cup due to a shoulder injury. However, he played SA20 2024–25 and then Major League Cricket in 2025. He then later returned to play a few games in the ILT20 in late 2025. The nature of Naveen-ul-Haq’s injury is not yet known.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board had earlier mentioned spinner AM Ghazanfar, batsman Ijaz Ahmadzai and fast bowler Zia ur Rehman Sharifi as reserves for the T20 World Cup; Therefore, one of them should ideally replace Naveen.
Rashid Khan quits SA20 midway to return to national duty
Meanwhile, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan stepped down from his captaincy duties midway through the SA20 and returned to the field for Afghanistan against West Indies for MI Cape Town. Khan was the captain of the defending champions in the last two seasons.
Rashid Khan will be replaced by Kieron Pollard, who recently led MI Emirates in the ILT20, where they finished runners-up in the competition. However, the big man from the Caribbean cannot lead the MICT team, who are currently at the bottom of the SA20 table with only 2 wins and 5 losses.
Another experienced Afghanistan spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also left the Paarl Royals camp in the SA20 to play for his national team in the series against West Indies.
Who will lead MICT after Rashid Khan’s departure?
With the departure of Rashid Khan, the MICT management will be pressed to announce their new captain, as they have a number of potential candidates on their list. South African cricketers Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton are leading the race.
Ryan Rickelton is their highest scorer in the season with 324 runs at a strike rate of 167.01, with two centuries against the Joburg Super Kings and Durban Super Giants. On the other hand, Rashid Khan was their most economical bowler and took 6 wickets with the ball.
With the arrival of Kieron Pollard and the extensive experience the Caribbean all-rounder has, it makes sense to hand him the captaincy; However, SA20 may prefer to hand over the captaincy to its players.
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