"I hope he does think about it and get it back" - Rashid Khan on Naveen-ul-Haq ODI retirement
Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan is hopeful that teammate Naveen-ul-Haq to make a reverse decision on his ODI retirement. On September 27, Naveen took to his Instagram to announce his retirement from the 50-over format following the conclusion of the World Cup 2023.
Speaking in a video uploaded on ICC’s social media platforms, Rashid Khan cited the example of many players who call back their retirement and expects Naveen to do the same.
“I hope he does think about it and get it back - retirement. I have seen so many players do that and hopefully, it does happen for him as well. He could help and do well for Afghanistan in the future in this format and deliver the best for the team,” Rashid said on Naveen-ul-Haq’s retirement.
Naveen was a surprise inclusion in Afghanistan’s 15-member squad for the quadrennial tournament with his last appearance in the format being made in January 2021. He played in Afghanistan’s World Cup opener against Bangladesh in Dharamsala, where he registered 1 for 31 from 5.4 overs.
Naveen-ul-Haq says it was a tough decision on ODI retirement
Naveen-ul-Haq has played just eight ODI matches for the Afghanistan men’s national team since making his debut against Bangladesh in 2016 in Mirpur. He has claimed 15 wickets in the format at an average of 25.80.
The 24-year-old wasn’t in the reckoning for Afghanistan in the longer version of white-ball cricket for more than two years even though he regularly featured in their T20I side. In January 2022, Naveen-ul-Haq opted to take a break from ODI cricket in order to shift his focus towards ICC T20 World Cup 2022. While opening up about the decision to retire from the format, he said:
“It was a quite tough decision to make. As a kid when you start playing and when you start playing, you dream about representing your country. Then suddenly you have to take a decision at the early stage of your career.”
Naveen’s Afghanistan will face host India in their second match of the World Cup on Wednesday, October 11, in Delhi.