Naveen-ul-Haq ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026: report

KARACHI: Afghanistan's right-arm pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, international media reported on Thursday.

According to a report by an international cricket news website, Naveen was set to undergo surgery later this month, with the nature of his injury yet to be known.

Notably, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is yet to name Naveen's replacement for the upcoming assignments, but their squad includes three travelling reserves, AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, one of whom could be promoted into the final group of 15 players.

For the unversed, Afghanistan will host the West Indies for a three-match series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from January 19 to 22 before travelling to India for the 20-team mega event.

The previous edition's semi-finalists, slotted in Group D, will start their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against New Zealand in Chennai on February 8 before taking on South Africa in Ahmedabad two days later.

The Atalans will then travel to New Delhi, where they will be locking horns with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on February 16, while their final group-stage fixture is scheduled in Chennai on February 19 against Canada.

Afghanistan squad for T20 World Cup 2026:

Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran. Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.