January 12, 2025: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named Hashmatullah Shahidi as the captain for Afghanistan's maiden ICC Men's Champions Trophy campaign, which will begin on February 19. Afghanistan comes into the tournament with strong momentum, having impressed in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and finishing as semifinalists in last year's Men's T20 World Cup.
A key inclusion in the squad is Ibrahim Zadran, who returns after recovering from an ankle injury. He will open the batting alongside Rahmanullah Gurbaz, with the top-four completed by Rahmat Shah and captain Shahidi. The team’s bowling attack is bolstered by star leg-spinner Rashid Khan, veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, and pace spearhead Fazalhaq Farooqi.
A notable absence is Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, who was an important member of Afghanistan's squad during the 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup.
Afghanistan's fixtures in the group stage are:
- 21 February: Afghanistan vs South Africa, Karachi
- 26 February: Afghanistan vs England, Lahore
- 28 February: Afghanistan vs Australia, Lahore
The 15-member squad for the tournament includes:
- Captain: Hashmatullah Shahidi
- 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
The team has also named three reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti, and Bilal Sami.
