It’s Afghanistan’s first-ever Champions Trophy campaign. On top of that, they are in the same group as Australia, England, and South Africa. However, they did well enough in their previous ICC event not to fall victim to the enormity of the task ahead of them.
Ibrahim Zadran’s return to the side, having fully recovered from his injury, would further boost Afghanistan’s morale. Mujeeb ur Rehman, though, remains ‘unavailable’ for selection due to his persistent injury struggles that kept him out of the side for the larger part of Afghanistan’s international fixtures since the ODI World Cup in 2023.
Ahmad Suliman Khil, Afghanistan Cricket Board’s interim chief selector, confirmed that Mujeeb is still not fit enough to bowl long spells in one-day games.
“Mujeeb Ur Rahman was not available for the selection as he has been advised by his doctor to focus on T20s for a while to ensure his full recovery before returning to ODIs.”
Mujeeb will be replaced by AM Ghazanfar, another offspinner and the newest addition to Afghanistan’s spin armoury, who has accumulated plenty of success lately. In his 11-games short ODI career, he already has two five-wicket hauls.
Afghanistan have never played any international game in Pakistan. However, the ACB chief selector is certain this will not cause any trouble for the side. Besides, a handful of players in Afghanistan’s squad for the Champions Trophy are aware with the conditions in Pakistan, having played in the Pakistan Super League and some even being a part of Pakistan’s domestic setup.
“Conditions in Pakistan are similar to those in Afghanistan and the UAE, where we usually play. We will conduct a preparation camp in multiple phases before embarking on our journey for the big event. The expectations are high, and I hope the team will prepare well and deliver some excellent performances, just as they did in the last two World Cups.” Khil said.
Sediqullah Atal, who recently won the Player of the Series award for scoring 156 runs at an average of 78 in the three-match series versus Zimbabwe, has rightfully earned a place in the squad. However, he will have to be adjusted at some other position than his preferred opening spot, where Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are likely to bat for Afghanistan.
What sets the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led men apart is their incredible bowling strength. Rashid Khan will lead a spin-attack which includes Noor Ahmad and Ghazanfar. Azmatullah Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi will likely be the only pacers in the team for the majority of matches. However, Fareed Ahmad amd Naveed Zadran are in the squad to back the duo.
Being part of the Group B, Afghanistan will play all of their group-stage games in Pakistan. They will begin their tournament campaign against South Africa in Karachi.
Afghanistan squad
Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik
Travel reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti and Bilal Sami
