Champions Trophy 2025: Afghanistan Strength, Weaknesses, Schedule, Squad, Playing XI and More
There's just a month left for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is returning after an eight-year gap and this time it will feature one new team. Afghanistan will make its debut in the Champions Trophy this year, marking a historic moment in Afghan cricket. This article will discuss Afghanistan's strengths, weaknesses, best-playing XI, squad, and more.
First Appearance in the Champions Trophy
Afghanistan will play In The Champions Trophy for the first time after qualifying for the prestigious tournament as per the pre decided criteria. Afghanistan's inclusion in the Champions Trophy led to the disqualification of Sri Lanka and West Indies, as the tournament is played between the top teams in international cricket.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025 criteria
According to the criteria, the top eight teams in the group stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 qualify for the Champions Trophy 2025. In last year's World Cup, Afghanistan finished in sixth place, securing its place in the Champions Trophy for the first time. The team performed very well in the World Cup, defeating teams like England and Pakistan.
| Rank | Team | Matches (M) | Wins (W) | Losses (L) | No Result (NR) | Points (PT) | Net Run Rate (NRR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | South Africa | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 3 | Australia | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | Afghanistan | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | England | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Strengths
Spin Attack
Afghanistan poses a world-class spin attack better than any other team in the tournament, with Rashid Khan leading along with Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmed and Allah Ghazanfar. With such a world-class spin attack team can create havoc in any match.
Reliable Opening Duo
Afghanistan’s openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz have played monumental roles in the team's performance recently, the openers have provided much-needed stability at the top order and perform consistently, giving strong support to the team's batting.
Weaknesses
Middle-order woes
The biggest weak link in Afghanistan is their middle order batting, the middle order has faced several collapses, which decreases the confidence in the middle order that if in any match to-order collapsed early, then will the middle order be able to handle such pressure in this big tournament?
Lack of Experience
The Afghanistan team lacks experience in ICC tournaments. This will be the team's first Champions Trophy, which can affect its performance in a new environment.
Group A
On the one hand, the Afghanistan team will play its first-ever Champions Trophy, whereas on the other side, the team is in group A, facing teams like Australia, England and South Africa, which will make the road more challenging for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's Best Playing XI For Champions Trophy
| Position | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) | Opener |
| 2 | Ibrahim Zadran (or Sediqullah Atal) | Opener |
| 3 | Hashmatullah Shahidi (c) | Top Order |
| 4 | Rahmat Shah (or Sediqullah Atal) | Middle Order |
| 5 | Mohammad Nabi (All-rounder) | All-rounder |
| 6 | Gulbadin Naib (All-rounder) | All-rounder |
| 7 | Azmatullah Omarzai (or Ikram Alikhil) | Middle Order/All-rounder |
| 8 | Rashid Khan (Spinner) | Spinner |
| 9 | AM Ghazanfar (or Noor Ahmad) | Spinner/All-rounder |
| 10 | Fazalhaq Farooqi (Bowler) | Fast Bowler |
| 11 | Naveed Zadran (Bowler) | Fast Bowler |
Afghanistan Matches in Champions Trophy
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 21 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | National Stadium, Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| February 26 | Afghanistan vs England | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| February 28 | Afghanistan vs Australia | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| March 4* | Semi-final 1 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| March 5* | Semi-final 2 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| March 9* | Final** | Lahore/Dubai | 2:30 PM |
Afghanistan Squad
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Hashmatullah Shahidi |
| Vice-Captain | Rahmat Shah |
| Wicketkeepers | Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil |
| Batsmen | Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah |
| All-rounders | Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi |
| Spinners | Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar |
| Fast Bowlers | Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran, Farid Malik |
Champions Trophy 2025 Full Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 19 | Pakistan vs New Zealand | Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| February 20 | India vs Bangladesh | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| February 21 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| February 22 | Australia vs England | Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| February 23 | India vs Pakistan | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| February 24 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand | Rawalpindi | 2:30 PM |
| February 25 | Australia vs South Africa | Rawalpindi | 2:30 PM |
| February 26 | Afghanistan vs England | Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| February 27 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Rawalpindi | 2:30 PM |
| February 28 | Afghanistan vs Australia | Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| March 1 | South Africa vs England | Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| March 2 | New Zealand vs India | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| March 4 | Semi-final 1 | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| March 5 | Semi-final 2 | Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| March 9 | Final* | Lahore/Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| March 10 | Reserve Day | - | - |