Afghanistan will finish the Asia Cup without their most experienced T20 seamer. The board confirmed on Monday that Naveen-ul-Haq is “still recovering from a shoulder injury and has not been declared fit by the medical team”, ending hopes of a late return. “Naveen will continue to undergo intensive treatment and rehabilitation until he is fully fit,” the ACB statement added.
Abdollah Ahmadzai, initially listed among the travelling reserves, replaces him in the main squad. The 22-year-old right-arm quick played a single T20I in the recent UAE tri-series, taking 1 for 31 on debut, and has 15 wickets from 11 senior T20 matches overall. Coaches like his skiddy pace and willingness to attack the stumps, though he is still learning the art of closing out an innings.
Naveen, 26, last turned out for Afghanistan in Harare nine months ago. Since then he has picked up short-form experience in leagues from Durban to New York, but the shoulder has bothered him on and off throughout 2025. ACB medical staff thought he might squeeze in a couple of group games; the joint simply has not cooperated.
Head coach Jonathan Trott, speaking before training, kept the disappointment in perspective. “You’d always prefer your senior players available, but injuries happen and it’s an opportunity for someone else,” he said. Bowling consultant Hamid Hassan echoed that view: “Abdollah runs in hard and hits the deck; he won’t be overawed.”
Afghanistan’s pace resources are now thin on high-end experience. Fazalhaq Farooqi and left-armer Fareed Ahmad shoulder the specialist duties, with Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat offering seam-bowling back-up from the all-rounder bracket. On slow Colombo pitches the attack will probably lean on spin, but against Bangladesh on 16 September Trott is still likely to pick two quicks to exploit any early nip.
Afghanistan opened the tournament with a 94-run win over Hong Kong; two more victories guarantee a semi-final spot. The loss of Naveen removes a proven death-overs option, yet the camp insists momentum is intact. As Hassan put it, “We’re here to adapt. If you can’t adapt in tournament cricket, you’re out.”
