Ahmedabad

Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has officially retired from ODI cricket following the culmination of Afghanistan's journey at the ongoing World Cup in India. The team concluded its World Cup campaign with a five-wicket loss against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday (Nov 11). 

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Following the match, Naveen took to his social media handles to post a farewell message and acknowledge the well-wishers. 

"I have worn this jersey with immense pride from my first game till my last game today thanks for all the messages and wishes from everyone," wrote Naveen in his Instagram story. 

Despite not picking up any wickets against the Proteas, Naveen's final hurrah has been nothing short of a fairytale. The giant-killing Afghans thrashed England, Pakistan Sri Lanka and Netherlands while coming perilously close to upstaging five-time world champions Australia. Throughout the tournament, Naveen remained a pivotal part of the squad, delivering crucial breakthroughs. 

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Also read | Afghanistan’s World Cup 2023 dream run ends with 5-wicket loss at hands of South Africa

Naveen's retirement announcement 

The right-arm pacer, surprising the cricketing world, announced days before the start of the World Cup that he will be retiring following the conclusion of the quadrennial event. Naveen said the decision wasn’t an easy one but one he had to take to prolong his playing career.

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"It has been an absolute honour to represent my country, and I would like to announce my retirement from the ODI format at the end of this World Cup and will continue to wear this blue jersey in T20 cricket for my country," Naveen wrote in his post.

After retiring from the 50-over format, Naveen would only represent the Afghan side in the T20 format while plying his trade in franchise cricket around the globe. 

Lately, more and more cricketers are giving up playing the long formats of the game to travel to different countries and play franchise cricket. The main reason is the monetary benefit as a cricketer's career is short-lived and unless hefty central contracts are offered, most have to rely on cricket leagues to survive. 

(With inputs from agencies)