Naveen ul Haq (Photo Source: Twitter)
Star Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has no plans to change his decision on ODI retirement even after his side’s remarkable win over Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Chennai. The win was Afghanistan’s first over the Men in Green in eight attempts.
Naveen had announced that he would retire from the 50-over format after the culmination of the ODI World Cup in a bid to prolong his T20 career. However, the pacer has clarified that his decision is final and he will not change it. The 24-year-old added that he will forever remember Afghanistan’s historic win over two giants, England and Pakistan.
“No, no, no. Not at all. That’s the final decision I’ve made. Luckily, I will remember this World Cup for the rest of my life – beating Pakistan and beating England. I’m hoping for the best in the upcoming games,” Naveen was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
He went on to express his happiness to make the country proud with the team’s victory. “It does mean a lot to the people of our country back home. As you know, the situation back home. The earthquake also hit [in Herat] a few days ago. So, there’s not a lot of happiness in the country without cricket. So, at least we’ve given them some moments of happiness tonight,” he added.
Also Check: ODI World Cup 2023 Points Table
Afghanistan beat Pakistan by eight wickets in ODI World Cup
Speaking about the game, Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam scored fifties as Pakistan posted 282 runs in alloted overs. Noor Ahmad was the pick of bowlers for Afghanistan who claimed a three-wicket haul in his full quota. Naveen-ul-Haq picked up two crucial wickets while Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai grabbed one each.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadram made a solid start with a 130-run partnership before Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi managed to produce a 94-run stand to help Afghanistan chase the target with one over and eight wickets to spare.