Naveen ul Haq is an Afghan cricketer who plays as a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He is one of the emerging pace bowlers of the Afghanistan national cricket team and has impressed with his speed and swing. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in September 2016 and has been a part of the team since then.
Naveen ul Haq was born on 23 September 1999 in Kabul, Afghanistan. His father, Abdul Qayum, was a businessman and his mother, Zainab, was a homemaker. He has three brothers and two sisters. He belongs to the Zadran tribe of Afghanistan. He was passionate about cricket since his childhood and his father introduced him to the game when he was nine years old. He studied at King Khaled Institute, Stamford College and American International University of Bangladesh.
Naveen ul Haq is married to his cousin, Samia Parvin, who is a psychology student at Dhaka University. They tied the knot on 22 March 2019 and have a daughter who was born in November 2020. He follows Islam and his hobbies include fishing, playing video games and watching movies. His favourite quote is "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Naveen ul Haq started playing cricket as a batsman and bowler and joined the Afghanistan Cricket Board's academy in 2015. He played for the Afghanistan under-15 and under-17 teams before making his first-class debut for Kabul Region in the 2016 Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament on 1 March 2016. He made his List A debut for Kabul Region in the 2016 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament on 10 August 2016. He was the leading wicket-taker for Kabul Region in both tournaments, with 20 wickets in four matches and 17 wickets in five matches respectively. He made his Twenty20 debut for Kabul Eagles in the 2016 Shpageeza Cricket League on 14 September 2016. In November 2017, he was signed by Comilla Victorians for the 2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League season.
Naveen ul Haq made his One Day International (ODI) debut for Afghanistan against Bangladesh on 25 September 2016. He took one wicket in that match and helped Afghanistan win by three wickets. His Twenty20 International (T20I) debut came against Zimbabwe on 5 February 2017 in the T20 World Cup Qualifier. He took two wickets in that match and helped Afghanistan win by five wickets. Naveen ul Haq has been a regular member of the Afghanistan team in both formats since then and has played some crucial spells for his team. He has also represented Afghanistan in their Test matches, making his debut against India on 14 June 2018. He took one wicket in that match but Afghanistan lost by an innings and 262 runs.
Naveen ul Haq has played 19 ODIs for Afghanistan till date, scoring 57 runs at an average of 9.50. His highest score is 18 against Ireland in January 2021. He has also taken 24 wickets at an average of 32.66. His best bowling figures are 4/42 against Ireland in January 2021.
Naveen ul Haq has played 27 T20Is for Afghanistan till date, scoring 39 runs at an average of 9.75. His highest score is 11 not out against Zimbabwe in September 2020. He has also taken 31 wickets at an average of 23.09. His best bowling figures are 4/17 against Ireland in March 2020.
Naveen ul Haq has played 2 Tests for Afghanistan till date, scoring 13 runs at an average of 6.50. His highest score is 10 against Zimbabwe in March 2021. He has also taken 5 wickets at an average of 33.40. His best bowling figures are 3/86 against Zimbabwe in March 2021.
Naveen ul Haq has not captained Afghanistan in any format of the game. He has, however, led Kabul Region and Comilla Victorians in domestic cricket.
Naveen ul Haq was involved in a heated exchange with former Indian captain Virat Kohli during an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants on 1 May 2023. Kohli accused him of sledging his teammate AB de Villiers and confronted him after the match. The two players had to be separated by the umpires and other teammates. Naveen later apologized for his behaviour and said that it was due to the emotions of the game. He was also fined 15 percent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire's decision during a T20I against Zimbabwe in March 2020. He was also reprimanded for using inappropriate language during the same match.