Naveen ul Haq to retire from ODIs after 2023 World Cup to prolong T20I career

Afghanistan's ace pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has announced that he will retire from one-day internationals after the conclusion of the World Cup 2023 in India. The 24-year-old took to his social media handle to share the information. Naveen shared that he is taking the decision in order to prolong his career in T20Is and focus more on the shortest format of the game. 

Naveen, along with his national teammates, recently arrived in India to feature in the ODI extravaganza. The young pacer missed the recently concluded Asia Cup due to an injury. In fact, he was announced in the World Cup squad just a few days before the team's departure. It is also worth mentioning that the event will mark his return to one-day internationals after a gap of more than two years.

“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 🇦🇫♥️,” Naveen wrote in an Instagram post.

Speaking of his records in ODI cricket, the right-arm pacer has represented Afghanistan in seven matches thus far, and has been successful in picking 14 wickets at an average of 25.43 and an economy of 5.79. His best bowling performance was on display when he picked four wickets while conceding 42 runs.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan are set to play their first game of the quadrennial event against Bangladesh on Saturday, October 7 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The Afghan side will also play a couple of warm games before the tournament against South Africa and Sri Lanka, respectively.

Watch Naveen-ul-Haq's Instagram announcement here:

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