The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Sunday, January 12 officially announced a strong line-up of the Afghanistan national cricket team for the 2025 Cricket Champions Trophy.
The Afghanistan team will reach the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on the back of their sensational performances in the last two ICC tournaments – the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Mujibur Rahman dropped out of the Afghanistan squad
The Afghanistan Cricket Board's National Selection Committee on Sunday announced the squad that will participate in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which will be held from February 19 to March 9 at four venues in Dubai and Pakistan.
May God have mercy on me, my martyr He will lead the team in the 8-team competition and will have Rehmat Shah as his deputy. Rehmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhel will be the team's wicket-keepers, and star batsman Ibrahim Zadran, who was sidelined with an ankle injury, has returned.
Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah OmarzaiMuhammad Nabi, and Gulbuddin Nayeb They are also in the team, along with superstar Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, and Noor Ahmed.
However, Mujibur Rahman was not included in the 15-man squad. The spinner has been ruled out as he has not fully recovered from his injury and his doctor has advised him to focus on T20s before returning to ODIs. Darvesh Rasouli, Nanjial Kharoti and Bilal Sami have also been kept in reserve.
The Atlantic Afghans have performed exceptionally well in the last two ICC events – ACB President
In an official statement issued by the Board of Directors, ACB Chairman, Mr. Mirwais Ashraf, said that they are confident of the team’s good performance in the major tournament after their success in the last two editions of the ICC tournament.
Mirwais was also happy with the appointment of legendary Pakistani batsman Younis Khan as the team's mentor, and stated that the team led by Hashmatullah Shahidi is looking forward to making full use of his experience. He explained:
“The Afghans have performed exceptionally well in the last two ICC events, CWC23 and ICC World T20 2024. Their impressive performances in these two events coupled with their ODI series Last year's victories will undoubtedly boost their morale and help them put up a better campaign this time around.
“The appointment of mentors has proven to be very beneficial for us at both the recent events. Given this success, we have appointed Mr. Younis Khan, who has extensive international and local experience, and we look forward to making full use of his experience during this event.
In the same media statement, ACB interim national team president Ahmed Sulaiman Khel spoke about the absence of player Mujibur Rahman and added that the Afghans are accustomed to playing in the conditions that will be available in Pakistan and the UAE. He added that they have high expectations from the Afghan national team and hope that the players will perform well.
“Mujibur Rahman was not available for selection as his doctor advised him to focus on T20s for a while to ensure his full recovery before returning to the ODIs. This was also the reason for his absence from the recently concluded ODI series against Zimbabwe.
“The conditions in Pakistan are similar to those in Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, where we usually play. We will conduct a preparation camp in multiple stages before embarking on our journey for the big event. “Expectations are high, and I hope the team will prepare well and put in some excellent performances, just as they did in The last two editions of the World Cup.
Here is Afghanistan's 15-man squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy
Team: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (West Karan), Ikram Alikhil (West Karan), Ibrahim Zadran, Siddiqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Muhammad Nabi, Gulbadin Nayeb, Rashid Khan, I.M. Ghazanfar, Nour Ahmed. Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran and Fareed Ahmed Malik.
Reserve group: Darvish Rasouli, Nangial Kharouti, and Bilal Sami
