Rashid Khan To Take Back Seat; 3 Afghanistan Players Who Can Be Crucial In Champions Trophy
Allah Ghazanfar- (Source:@CricCrazy/X.com)
Eight teams will have a go against each other in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 that begins on February 19 in Pakistan and UAE. While, heavyweights like India, Pakistan, and Australia are being touted as the favourites, eyes must not taken away from underdogs like Afghanistan, who also can claim the title.
It is worth noting that Afghanistan have done brilliantly well in the last few years as they reached the semis of 2024 T20 World Cup and nearly qualified for the semis in the 2023 World Cup. Meanwhile, this article will shed light on three X-Factors for Afghanistan, that can be crucial in Afghanistan's success in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
1. Ibrahim Zadran
When discussing Afghanistan's top order, one name that comes to mind is Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The KKR star has been Afghan's best player across formats in the past few years, but attention must also be diverted towards 23-year-old Ibrahim Zadran, who has also done well in the fifty-over format.
2024 was not the year for Zadran as he featured in several T20 leagues but failed to score big. But since the Champions Trophy is a fifty-over format, it suits Zadran's style, who likes to spend time on the pitch and build his innings with proper cricketing shots.
Unfortunately, Zadran played just two ODI series in 2024 where he scored two fifty-plus scores in 5 innings. Now it is important to note that since the tournament is in Asia, Zadran has succeeded in the sub-continent.
Tracing back to the 2023 ODI World Cup, he was the star alongside Gurbaz and amassed 376 runs in 9 innings, averaging 47, including a century. Thus, playing in Pakistan wouldn't be much of a challenge for Zadran.
Further, he amassed 844 runs in 27 innings in 2024 across formats, averaging 33 and is in top form.
Tournament | Runs | Format | Innings | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 World Cup | 376 | ODIs | 9 | 47 |
Entire 2024 | 844 | Tests+ODIs+T20Is | 27 | 33 |
2. Allah Ghazanfar
Afghanistan are known for their spin attack and Rashid Khan being the leader of the pack. However, they have dealt a setback as Mujeeb Ur Rahman isn't a part of the squad. But no worries as Allah Ghazanfar has got Afghanistan covered.
The 18-year-old rose to fame during Afghanistan's tour against South Africa, where he left the Proteas confused with his mystery bowling. The right-arm spinner is playing all across the globe in T20 leagues and is shining like a fine diamond.
While several teams have still cracked Rashid's code, Ghazanfar is yet to be cracked. If we look at his stats, then he took a whopping 21 wickets in just 11 innings in 2024, which speaks a volume about his talent.
Shedding light on his recent performances, then Allah took 18 wickets in nine innings in the Shpageeza T20 2024. He also had nine wickets in three ODIs against Zimbabwe, which included a fifer.
Tournament | Format | Wickets | Innings |
---|---|---|---|
Entire 2024 | ODIs | 21 | 11 |
Shpageeza | T20 | 18 | 9 |
3. Noor Ahmad
Another spinner who is making noise among cricket fans is Noor Ahmad. The new CSK recruit is making his ball talk and how. Noor came to the scene at GT, where he worked with Rashid and honed his skills.
A couple of years ago, he bowled wayward line and length, but the current Noor Ahmad is a force to be reckoned with. Recently, Noor made the ball spin on South African tracks and has taken the SA20 by storm.
The 20-year-old has 13 wickets in nine innings in South Africa's premier tournament and also performed in the Abu Dhabi T10 league with 10 wickets. Thus, Noor knows how to shine on overseas tracks. He also took 22 wickets in CPL.
With his ability to make the ball spin on dead tracks, it is a big plus for Afghanistan going into the Champions Trophy.
Tournament | Format | Wickets |
---|---|---|
SA20 | T20 | 13 |
Abu Dhabi T10 | T10 | 10 |
CPL | T20 | 22 |