Credit: Twitter
After getting clean-swept by Pakistan in their three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan have recently named their 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The Afghanistan Cricket Board has named a formidable side for the upcoming continental showpiece, however, the most notable absentee from the list, who was surprisingly dropped from the squad, is pacer Naven-ul-Haq.
The Asia Cup 2023 will be played in the ODI format and is scheduled to take place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17. Hasmatullah Shahidi will lead the Afghanistan suide while the squad also include Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman among some big names.
Since the IPL 2023, Naveen-ul-Haq has been making rounds on social media for his on and off-the-field conflict with India and RCB star batter Virat Kohli. During RCB's second match against LSG in the IPL 2023 at the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, Kohli was involved in a heated altercation with Naveen and LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir. After their on-field fight, the 23-year-old Afghanistani pacer followed up with a series of social media posts that were seemingly directed towards Virat Kohli.
After a month of IPL 2023, Naveen took to his Instagram handle and posted yet another cryptic post that revived the incident with Kohli.
Check Afghanistan's 17-member squad:
Despite having a decent IPL 2023 season, Naveen-ul-Haq, who picked 11 wickets in seven innings at an economy rate of 7.82, was not selected by the ACB for the Asia Cup 2023. Naveen has appeared in seven matches for Afghanistan in the ODI cricket and took 14 wickets in seven matches with an economy rate of 5.78.
However, Afghanistan's pace unit features in-form Fazalhaq Farooqi and Abdul Rahman as specialist fast bowlers while they also include Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat as two fast-bowling all-rounders. The pitches in Sri Lanka are spin-friendly and Afghanistan's strength vests in their spin-bowling unit that features, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmed, and Mohammad Nabi.
