Afghanistan suffer a blow as Naveen-ul-Haq is ruled out of the West Indies T20Is and next month’s T20 World Cup due to injury. Rashid Khan has left MI Cape Town for national duty, with Kieron Pollard joining the SA20 side.
Afghanistan’s preparations for a busy T20 calendar have been disrupted by the loss of fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, who has been ruled out of both the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies and the men’s T20 World Cup starting next month. As per reports, Naveen is scheduled to undergo surgery later this month, though the Afghanistan Cricket Board has not yet disclosed the nature of the injury or named a replacement.
The setback continues a difficult period for Naveen, who last represented Afghanistan in December 2024. Since then, he has featured in franchise leagues, including the SA20 in early 2025 and Major League Cricket in the United States. He missed the Asia Cup 2025 due to a shoulder injury and later returned to competitive cricket at the ILT20, playing for MI Emirates, which marked his most recent appearances.
Afghanistan had already named reserves for the T20 World Cup squad, including mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar and seam bowlers Ijaz Ahmadzai and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, though it remains unclear whether any of them will be called up to replace Naveen.
The ripple effect in SA20
Meanwhile, Rashid Khan has departed MI Cape Town’s SA20 2026 campaign to lead Afghanistan in the T20Is against West Indies. His exit further weakens the defending champions, who are currently at the bottom of the table with just two wins and five losses from eight matches. Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also left Paarl Royals, adding to the Afghan player departures from the league.
Kieron Pollard has joined MI Cape Town for the remainder of the season following Rashid’s departure. Pollard recently led MI Emirates to a runners-up finish in the ILT20 and previously captained MI Cape Town during the 2024 SA20, when the side finished last. In the ILT20, Pollard scored 225 runs at a strike rate of 141.50, hitting 15 sixes, the joint third-highest tally in the tournament.
Despite his arrival, Pollard is not expected to take over the captaincy at MI Cape Town. The franchise is set to announce Rashid’s replacement as captain on Friday, with Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton emerging as leading candidates.