Naveen-ul-Haq announces shock retirement at 24, to walk away from ODIs after World Cup

In a shocking development, pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, who is part of Afghanistan squad for the upcoming World Cup, dropped big news about his future in the 50-over-format. The pacer in an Instagram post announced that he'll be retiring from the format post the ODI World Cup.

Naveen mentioned that although it was not an easy decision but feels it will help him prolong his playing career. “It has been an absolute honour to represent my country would like to announce my retirement from ODI format at end of this World Cup and will continue to wear this blue jersey in t20 cricket for my country it hasn’t been an easy decision to make but to prolong my playing career had to take this tough decision would like to thank @afghanistancricketboard. And all my fans for their support and unwavering love,” wrote Naveen along with a photo of him in the Afghanistan jersey.

Naveen was not part of the Afghanistan squad, which played at the Asia Cup but has been recalled for the World Cup in India, which gets underway from October 5. Apart from his commitments with the national team, the 24-year-old has been a leading figure in franchise leagues across the globe.

Naveen also grabbed headlines during the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for his on-field tension with Virat Kohli.

If we look at his career, Naveen has featured in just seven ODIs in which he has scalped 14 wickets at an average of 25.42. Naveen made his debut against Bangladesh in Mirpur back in 2016. His last ODI appearance was against Ireland in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

Going by what we've seen in the IPL, Naveen will be one of Afghanistan's leading figure at the World Cup. He scalped a total of 11 wickets in eight appearances for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Although Afghanistan are not among the favourites to qualify for the semifinals, the team is filled with promising talents. Rashid Khan, who was a hit with both bat and the ball, will be the player to watch out for from the Afghanistan camp, which also have the likes of Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman in the spin options.

Afghanistan will engage in a warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka on October 3, and will then get their campaign underway against Bangladesh in Dharamshala on October 7.