Afghanistan pacer Naveen Ul Haq has said that he’ll never forget this World Cup 2023 for the rest of his life. His words came right after Afghanistan defeated Pakistan in a dominating performance in Chennai by 8 wickets.
This was Afghanistan’s second straight win in the ongoing CWC 2023, as they had previously stunned defending champions England as well.
Naveen Ul Haq had announced that this ICC World Cup 2023 would be his last outing in the ODI format and he’ll retire from the format afterwards. In light of Afghanistan's substantial impact in the tournament, questions have risen about whether Naveen will reconsider his retirement plans.
"Not at all. That's the final decision I have made. Luckily, I will remember this World Cup for the rest of my life.
It does mean a lot back home to the people of our country. We all know the situation back home. There was also an earthquake that happened a few days ago. There is not a lot of happiness in the country without cricket. So at least we have given them some moments of happiness tonight. Going deeper into the tournament, every game and two points count. The win tonight (Monday) is quite big for us," Naveen said talking to reporters after Afghanistan's win over Pakistan on Monday.
Naveen acknowledged that there are areas that need improvement, with the most significant concern being their struggle to prevent leaking runs in the death overs.
“We still have a lot of things to be improved, especially the way we conceded a few runs at the back end of the innings. They played well, but we can improve and do well in the upcoming games. That's true. IPL happens here in India, and along with that experience, coming and playing here (in Chennai) or any other venue does give you a lot of confidence,” he added.
Afghanistan will next face Sri Lanka in Pune on October 30.
(PTI inputs)
