![Afghanistan recall Ziaur Rahman as replacement [Source: @ACBofficials/x]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1768644902232_Afghanistan.jpg?type=hq)
Afghanistan recall Ziaur Rahman as replacement [Source: @ACBofficials/x]
Naveen-ul-Haq has been officially ruled out of the Afghanistan squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against the West Indies and for the subsequent 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next month. The 26-year-old fast bowler has sustained a stress fracture in his right shoulder, and he last played competitive cricket back in mid-December during the ILT20 2025-26 season in the UAE.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has now recalled fellow Afghanistan pacer Ziaur Rahman as a replacement for injured Naveen. Notably, Ziaur will potentially be making his return to the Afghanistan T20I playing XI after a gap of nearly seven years, considering the cricketer played the lone T20I of his career back in February 2019 against Ireland in Dehradun.
Ziaur Rahman tipped for Afghanistan T20I return after seven years
The ACB has named 27-year-old fast bowler Ziaur Rahman as a replacement of injured quick Naveen-ul-Haq for both, the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies in the UAE and for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Ziaur Rahman has so far played just one T20I for Afghanistan, doing so back in February 2019 with a match against Ireland in Dehradun. The speedster picked up two wickets in the game in a match-winning cause for Afghanistan, albeit at an expense of 42 runs in his four overs.
While Rahman is now touted to make his return to the Afghanistan T20I playing XI after a gap of nearly seven years, the cricketer did feature in Afghanistan’s recent Test match against Zimbabwe back in October 2025 last year. Making his format debut in the match, the fast bowler picked up seven wickets across both innings, but failed to anchor Afghanistan’s victory at the Harare Sports Club in Harare.
Despite holding a limited international experience, Ziaur Rahman has played 37 T20 games, with matches in prominent T20 leagues like the BPL. In the ongoing BPL 2025-26 season itself, the 27-year-old has snared seven wickets in six innings for the Dhaka Capitals, which included a fighting three-wicket haul at one stage of the tournament against Sylhet Titans in Sylhet on January 8.
Afghanistan to play WI in T20 World Cup 2026 prep series
The Afghanistan cricket team is scheduled to face West Indies in a series of three T20I games between January 19 and January 22. Each of the three matches will be hosted by the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.
The series will serve a crucial testing ground for both sides before the upcoming 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The Afghanistan team is placed in Group D of the tournament alongside Canada, New Zealand, UAE and 2024 runners-up South Africa. Afghanistan’s opening match of the competition will be played against New Zealand on February 4 at the iconic M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
They will subsequently face South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 11, against the UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on February 16, and against Canada on February 19 in Chennai.
