Naveen ul Haq [Source: AFP]Naveen ul Haq, the Afghanistan cricketer, has recently been appointed as the commentator for the Afghanistan vs Bangladesh one-off Test in Abu Dhabi on October 9. Immediately after the decision was announced, an Afghanistan Cricket Board official has now clarified the stance on the fast bowler's career, with speculations being made on the end of his cricketing journey from the professional game. ACB clarifies stance on Naveen-ul-Haq's cricketing careerIn a recent revelation, ACB Chief Executive Naseeb Khan has explained the reason behind Naveen-ul-Haq's commentary stint and his current status within the team's T20I structure. While addressing the speculation about the player's future in Afghanistan following his prolonged absence from international cricket, Khan shared that Naveen-ul-Haq's rehabilitation from injury remains his priority and his broadcasting role is simply a substitute career he is carrying on while he is unable to play."Naveen is currently recovering from an injury and his rehabilitation process is ongoing. His priority at this stage is to complete his rehabilitation and return to cricket fully fit. His involvement in the commentary panel should not be interpreted as a decision regarding his playing career. Naveen remains part of our plans as a player, and once he completes his rehabilitation, he will be available for the team," Khan said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.ALSO READBangladesh Coach Unfazed By Abu Dhabi Heat Ahead Of Only Test vs AfghanistanNaveen ul Haq’s injury timelineNaveen-ul-Haq's career has been marred by injuries since early. After the ODI World Cup 2023, he voluntarily took a break from the ODI team to manage his workload and later announced his retirement from the 50-50 format.Later, in July 2025, Naveen-ul-Haq injured his right shoulder and was sidelined for six weeks. In September again, he was ruled out of the Asia Cup as his injury resurfaced. In January 2026, Naveen-ul-Haq' was again ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 because he had to undergo a specialized surgery in the United Kingdom for the right shoulder stress fracture. Since then, he had to work around his shoulder for a second surgery and labrum repair and is undergoing rehabilitation till date. The last time Naveen-ul-Haq featured in a T20I game for the team was back in December 2024 against Zimbabwe. The cricketer has 67 wickets from 48 T20I appearances for the national team, while having a bowling average of 18.73 in the same format.ALSO READWest Indies Predicted Playing XI vs India, 2nd T20I, 2026
