After superb performance in the ODI World Cup 2023, Afghanistan is making its debut in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Although they are not the favourites to win the Champions Trophy, they are certainly one of the teams capable of causing upsets. As shown in the T20 World Cup, they have the potential to perform remarkably well and surprise other teams. Although Afghanistan is not entering with their best squad, they still have some new names joining for the Champions Trophy. Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan in their first Champions Trophy with a 15-player squad. Meanwhile Ibrahim Zadran’s comeback boot hopes in the batting lineup.
Afghanistan’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran.
Afghanistan’s strongest playing XI for the ICC Champions Trophy
| No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wicketkeeper Batter |
| 2 | Ibrahim Zadran | Batter |
| 3 | Rahmat Shah | Batting Allrounder (Spin) |
| 4 | Hashmatullah Shahidi (C) | Batter |
| 5 | Azmatullah Omarzai | All-rounder (Pace) |
| 6 | Mohammad Nabi | All-rounder (Spin) |
| 7 | Gulbadin Naib | All-rounder (Pace) |
| 8 | Rashid Khan | Bowling All-rounder |
| 9 | Noor Ahmad | Leg Spinner |
| 10 | Fazalhaq Farooqi | Fast Bowler |
| 11 | Farid Ahmad Malik | Fast Bowler |
Misses for Afghanistan at the ICC Champions Trophy
One of the notable absentees from the Champions Trophy squad for Afghanistan is Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was a crucial player for them in the Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023. He doesn’t seem fully fit for ODIs and is focusing solely on T20Is currently. Along with that, Afghanistan will be missing Naveen ul Haq, who was a key player in the ODI World Cup. Naveen announced his retirement from ODIs after this world cup and is concentrating only on T20 cricket.
Reliable batting line-up
With Ibrahim Zadran’s return, the problem of the opening pair is solved alongside Rahmanullah Gurbaz. With experience, they should be able to contribute big runs. At number 3, Rahmat Shah is one of the most reliable players and has the ability to advance innings. Hashmatullah Shahidi, a clinical ODI batter, is an expert in the format and can deliver big performances. He can play an anchor role and contribute significantly in the middle overs. The talented all-rounders have the ability to hit power shots, and Mohammad Nabi can rise to the occasion according to the match situation. Overall, they have a solid batting lineup.
No expert pace bowlers
Afghanistan does not have much depth in pace bowling. They have Fazalhaq Farooqi, who will lead the team in fast bowling, along with Farid Ahmad, although Farid is not an experienced player, nor is Naveed Zadran. This raises the question that there is nobody in the pace attack to support Fazalhaq Farooqi, although Gulbadin Naib and Fazalhaq Farooqi could deliver pace bowling, they are not experts; they are all-rounders, and the bowling relies heavily on the spin attack.
Overdependence on spinners
With only one full-time pace bowler experienced in the team, the team heavily relies on spin bowling from Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad. They have a huge responsibility in the squad because if Fazalhaq Farooqi fails to deliver wickets, then Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad will have the responsibility of taking wickets, both initially and in the end overs. Mohammad Nabi comes in as a part-time spinner who can also contribute to the team.
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