Naveen-ul-Haq is an Afghan professional cricketer who has represented his country in the shorter formats of the sport (ODIs and T20Is), as a frontline pace bowler. In the Afghan domestic circuit, he has played for the Mis Ainak Knights (2017, 2019-2020), Kabul Region (2018-2019, 2022), and the Band-e-Amir Dragons across all formats. In franchise-based T20 leagues around the world, Naveen has turned out for the Nangarhar Leopards (2018-19) in the APL (Afghanistan Premier League); Fortune Barishal, Sylhet Thunder (2019-20), Khulna Tigers (2021-22), and the Rangpur Riders (2022-23) in the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League); the Kandy Tuskers (2020) and the Colombo Stars (2021-2022) in the LPL (Lanka Premier League); the Guyana Amazon Warriors (2020-2021) and the Jamaica Tallawahs (2023) in the CPL (Caribbean Premier League); the Leicestershire Foxes (2021-Present) in the T20 Blast; the Sharjah Warriors (2022-23) in the ILT20 (International League T20); and the Lucknow Super Giants (2023-Present) in the IPL (Indian Premier League).

Born Name

Naveen-ul-Haq Murid

Nick Name

Naveen

Sun Sign

Libra

Born Place

Kabul, Afghanistan

Residence

Kabul, Afghanistan

Nationality

Occupation

Professional Cricketer

Family

• Siblings – He has an older brother.

Manager

He has been represented by Kaustav Lahiri, Manager and Booking Agent, 1st Sports Event, Sports Management Agency, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Batting

Right-Handed

Bowling

Right-Arm Medium-Fast

Role

Bowler

Jersey Number

78 – T20 International (T20I), Nangarhar Leopards (APL), Colombo Stars (LPL), Leicestershire Foxes (T20 Blast), Lucknow Super Giants (IPL)

Build

Athletic

Height

6 ft 1 in or 185.5 cm

Weight

78 kg or 172 lbs

Race / Ethnicity

Asian

He is of Pashtun descent.

Hair Color

Dark Brown

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Toned physique
• Short-cropped, side-parted hair
• Affable smile
• Sports a trimmed beard

Religion

Islam

Naveen-ul-Haq Facts

1. Naveen first came into the spotlight when he was included in Afghanistan’s squad for the 2016 edition of the ICC (International Cricket Council) Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Afghanistan finished in 9th place in a field of 16 teams. It was the country’s 4th successive appearance in the tournament – having first competed in the 2010 (8th) edition.
2. In December 2016, he was named the captain of the Afghan squad for the 2016 edition of the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) Under-19 Asia Cup. He finished the tournament as the joint 3rd-high wicket-taker with 9 dismissals to his name. Afghanistan reached the semi-final of the tournament where they lost to eventual and 5th-time champions India by 77 runs.
3. In December 2017, Naveen was named the captain of the Afghan squad for the 2018 edition of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. In the team’s 2nd match of the group stage, against Sri Lanka, he produced match-best bowling figures (4/35 in 8 overs) to help Afghanistan win by 32 runs (via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method (a controversial system of readjusting targets in rain-affected matches)) – a result that qualified Afghanistan for the quarter-final stage. Afghanistan eventually finished in 4th place – their then-best performance in the tournament.
4. In September 2021, with 26 dismissals to his name, while representing the Leicestershire Foxes, he finished as the leading wicket-taker in the 2021 edition of the T20 Blast (a professional T20 format cricket competition for English and Welsh first-class counties).
5. In Afghanistan’s 3rd match of the ‘Super 12’ phase of the 2021 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup, Naveen produced an excellent bowling spell (3/26 in 4 overs) to help Afghanistan defeat Namibia by 62 runs. He was named the ‘Player of the Match’ for his performance.
6. In Afghanistan’s last match of the ‘Super 12’ phase of the 2022 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup, he produced match-best bowling figures (3/21 in 4 overs) as Afghanistan fell just 4 runs short of upsetting hosts and the defending champions Australia.
7. In September 2023, Naveen-ul-Haq announced that he had decided to retire from One Day International (ODI) cricket after the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
8. In December 2023, he and 2 other players were banned by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for 2 years for playing the IPL and other leagues. According to ACB, he was showing more interest to play in other cricket leagues rather than his own country.

Featured Image by Naveen-ul-Haq / Instagram