Afghanistan were dealt a major setback as Naveen-ul-Haq was ruled out due to injury, while Rashid Khan left MI Cape Town to lead the national side against West Indies.
Afghanistan quick Naveen-ul-Haq has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies next week, as well as the men’s T20 World Cup starting next month. ESPNcricinfo understands that the pacer will undergo surgery later this month.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is yet to announce a replacement for Naveen. However, the board had earlier named mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, batter Ijaz Ahmadzai and seamer Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi as reserves for the T20 World Cup squad.
While the exact nature of Naveen’s injury is still unknown, the setback comes as another blow for the fast bowler, who last represented Afghanistan in December 2024. Since then, he featured in the SA20 in 2025 and later played in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA. Naveen also missed the Asia Cup 2025 due to a shoulder injury. He made his comeback during last year’s ILT20, playing for MI Emirates (MIE), which turned out to be his most recent competitive outing.
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Rashid leaves MICT for national duty
Meanwhile, Rashid Khan has left MI Cape Town (MICT) during SA20 2026 to captain Afghanistan in the T20I series against West Indies. Kieron Pollard has joined the squad as his replacement for the remainder of the season.
Before leaving, Rashid Khan was MI Cape Town’s most economical bowler, conceding runs at 7.92 per over while taking six wickets. He also made valuable contributions with the bat, scoring 36 runs off 21 balls at a strike rate of 171.42.
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