‘Delhi ka crowd kaccha kha jayega isse’ – Fans react as Naveen-ul-Haq returns to Afghanistan’s World Cup 2023 squad

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has unveiled the 15-member squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is all set to commence in host country India on October 5. LSG star cricketer Naveen-ul-Haq has also been in the squad while marking his stellar comeback after two years in the 50-over format. Notably, the star pacer wasn’t named in the Asia Cup squad. In addition, the Afghanistan team will be opening their campaign against Bangladesh on October 7.

Notably, the side also mentioned three reserve players, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, and Farid Ahmad Malik, as reserves, whereas Hashmatullah Shahidi is all set to lead the side. Meanwhile, looking at their recent performances, the Afghanistan team didn’t have much success as they suffered a 3-0 defeat against Pakistan in the recently concluded three-match ODI series. Following that, Shahidi’s side was unable to reach the Super Fours in the Asia Cup 2023 after suffering defeats against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in group stage matches despite having world-class spinners.

Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq’s fight created headlines during the IPL 2023

Meanwhile, India’s star batter Virat Kohli and Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq’s fight created headlines during the IPL 2023 when both were facing each other at Bangalore earlier this year. Notably, both star cricketers also shared some cryptic images on social media following each other’s losses in the games.

Later, the LSG pacer clarified the situation in an interview with the BBC, claiming that Virat Kohli was the one who provoked the fight by grabbing his hand forcefully after the match. The situation also created a fight involving former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. Moreover, it will be interesting to witness how both cricketers face each other in the upcoming marquee set to commence in less than a month.

Afghanistan’s ODI World Cup 2023 Squad: 

Hashmatullah Shahidi(C) Rahmanullah Gurbaz(WK) Ibrahim Zardan Riaz Hassan Rahmat Shah Najibullah Zadran Mohammad Nabi Ikram Alikhil Azmatullah Omarzai Rashid Khan A Rahman Mujeeb Ur Rahman Noor Ahmad Naveen-ul-Haq Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Reserve Players:  Gulbadin Naib Sharafudin Ashraf Farid Ahmad Malik.

Check out how fans have reacted after his inclusion in the squad: