Big blow for Afghanistan, star player ruled out of T20 World Cup, Rashid Khan exits SA20

New Delhi: Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has been ruled out of next week’s three-match T20I series against West Indies and the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup which is scheduled to start next month. He is set to undergo surgery later this month.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is yet to announce a replacement, though mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, batter Ijaz Ahmadzai and seamer Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi have been included in the reserves for the T20 World Cup.

Exact nature of Naveen’s injury is unkown

Naveen, who last represented Afghanistan in December 2024, has suffered another setback, while the exact nature of his injury is still unknown. Since then, he has participated in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA and the SA20 in 2025. However, a shoulder injury kept him out of the Asia Cup in 2025. He made a comeback during the ILT20 last year, playing for MI Emirates (MIE), which turned out to be his most recent competitive appearances.

Meanwhile, Rashid Khan has left MI Cape Town in SA20 2026 to lead Afghanistan in the T20I series against West Indies, with Kieron Pollard set to step in for the remainder of the season. The defending champions, MI Cape Town, are currently at the bottom of the table, as they managed to win just two matches out of eight matches. Mujeeb Ur Rahman has also left Paarl Royals.

Pollard comes in after guiding MI Emirates to a runners-up finish in the ILT20. He had previously captained MI Cape Town in SA20 2024, a season that saw the team finish last. In the ILT20, Pollard scored a scored a total of 225 runs at a strike rate of 141.50, which included 15 sixes, the joint third-highest tally in the tournament.

Pollard is unlikely to take over the captaincy

Pollard is unlikely to take over the captaincy, with MI Cape Town set to name Rashid Khan’s replacement as skipper on Friday. Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton are the leading contenders for the role. Rickelton has been in fine form recently, topping the run charts with 324 runs at a strike rate of 167.01. He has smashed two centuries this season, identical scores of 113 against Durban’s Super Giants and Joburg Super Kings.

Rashid, meanwhile, was MI Cape Town’s most economical bowler, conceding runs at 7.92 an over and claiming six wickets. He also contributed with the bat, scoring 36 runs off 21 deliveries at a strike rate of 171.42.