Afghanistan’s young pacer Naveen-ul-Haq will once again face Virat Kohli after being called up for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023 which is set to begin on October 5. Naveen who hasn’t featured for Afghanistan in the ODI format since January 2021, last year said that he was taking a break from the format. But now, he is set to make his return in the format leading the charge with the ball alongside Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman and allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai. Omarzai missed out on the recently concluded ODI series against Pakistan due to an injury has also made his comeback. Afghanistan’s star-studded spin attack will once again revolve around the likes of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad. In terms of opening order, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah alongside skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi will look to provide an ideal opening start to the team. Gulbadin Naib and Sharafuddin Ashraf, who were part of Afghanistan’s Asia Cup squad have been named as reserves, along with Fareed Ahmad who was part of the ODI series against Pakistan. Karim Janat and Mohammad Saleem are the two players from the Asia Cup who failed to make their place in Afghanistan’s World Cup squad.
