After witnessing some memorable cricket from Afghanistan’s side in ICC tournaments, they are once again set to compete, and this time in the Champions Trophy 2025. There’s no doubt about the momentum with the Afghanistan side, as their performances in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and then in 2024 T20 World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals, have shown their strength. They are surely a team to watch out for, placed in Group B alongside teams like Australia, England, and South Africa.
The competition is not going to be easy, but this team is now experienced, and especially in limited-overs cricket, they are one of the most dangerous teams. Now that they have announced their Champions Trophy squad, with a few changes, they have a well-packed squad that looks perfect for the competition. But what is their best XI for their Champions Trophy game? Take a look at their strongest XI for this prestigious tournament.
Afghanistan’s strongest XI for Champions Trophy
| No. | Player |
| 1 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK) |
| 2 | Ibrahim Zadran |
| 3 | Rahmat Shah |
| 4 | Hashmatullah Shahidi (C) |
| 5 | Azmatullah Omarzai |
| 6 | Mohammad Nabi |
| 7 | Gulabadin Naib |
| 8 | Rashid Khan |
| 9 | Noor Ahmad |
| 10 | Fazalhaq Farooqi |
| 11 | Farid Ahmad |
Reliable opening duo
Two solid, consistent names, once again, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, are set to stabilize the innings as far as the opening pair is concerned. Gurbaz, known for his top-quality shots, will look to get a good start in the first 10 overs of the game. A proven player, both of them can surely provide a rapid start.
Also, one thing that’s important to add here is that in the last 50-over World Cup, we saw every batter following smaller targets rather than just going full throttle. They focused on how many runs were important at that particular time, and by following this strategy, they got impressive results. We could see the same approach in the tournament once again.
Powerful middle order
Aside from the opening pair, the team has some big players who can handle tough situations. As we’ve seen many times, when the openers fail to make runs, it’s the number 3 batter’s duty to provide momentum to the scorecard, and that’s what we can expect from Rahmat Shah and in number 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi, who is also the leader of this team.
Along with him, players like Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulabadin Naib, and Rashid Khan are all capable of batting and bowling, making them a well-rounded side. Each of them has experience playing numerous games for Afghanistan, and all are known for their aggressive style, often hitting the ball out of the park like sloggers. They will look to take advantage of the Pakistan surfaces, which are usually flat in nature.
Skilled bowling line-up
Bowling has always been a strong suit for the Afghanistan camp, especially spin bowling. Once again, two of the best in the business, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, will take the ball and try to deliver the right results. Both are the biggest names in the Afghanistan team, which is why they are sure to be in the playing XI for Afghanistan’s Champions Trophy campaign.
Apart from these two, we can expect strong support from Noor Ahmad as well. Along with them, lethal pace will come from Fazalhaq Farooqi, who played a big role last time for Afghanistan with an impressive outing in the T20 World Cup 2024. As mentioned, all-rounders are key to Afghanistan’s lineup, which means all eyes will be on Gulabadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai, who will provide great balance to the side, both with their batting and medium pace bowling.
Afghanistan squad:
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), 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.
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