Afghanistan's Champions Trophy squad: Decoding their strengths and weaknesses
What's the story
Afghanistan's cricket team is preparing for the 2025 Champions Trophy, with former Pakistani cricketer Younis Khan as their mentor.
This is the third consecutive global tournament where the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has selected a mentor from the host nation.
Notably, Afghanistan will make their maiden apperance in the ODI event and the team would want to leave a significant mark.
Heere we analyse their squad.
Team strategy
Zadran returns to open batting for Afghanistan
Ibrahim Zadran, who has been missing from the team due to an injury during practice, is now fit and will open the batting with Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Since the 2023 World Cup, only the Netherlands's openers have had a slower start than Afghanistan's.
However, this isn't viewed as a major concern as they prefer consistency over speed in their scoring rate.
Moreover, both Zaran and Gurbaz average over 39 in ODIs.
Performance review
Afghanistan's middle order under scrutiny
The team's middle order, particularly Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi, have been struggling with strike rates below 70 in ODIs since the World Cup.
Shah's average is a meager 27.10 in ODIs since the beginning of 2023.
However, Sediqullah Atal has been making waves across formats and was named Player of the Series against Zimbabwe in December, possibly putting Shah's position on the line.
The out-of-form middle order can dent Afghanistan's campaign.
Player analysis
Gurbaz's performance varies based on batting order
Gurbaz's performance is markedly different when he bats first versus when he chases.
His average while chasing plummets to 20.95 from 54 while batting first.
Six of his eight ODI centuries have come while batting first.
This has sparked conversations over replacing Gulbadin Naib with Ikram Alikhil in the middle order.
Notably, Naib was brilliant in the ILT20 where he averaged nearly 47 and striked at almost 160.
Team strengths
Afghanistan's team boasts depth and versatility
One of Afghanistan's biggest strengths is their depth in batting and bowling, courtesy of a few multi-skilled players.
Every player from No. 5 to No. 8 can contribute with bat and ball, which is a huge advantage for the side.
Azmatullah Omarzai, who won the ODI Player of the Year award in 2024, has been in great form, while veteran Nabi continues to deliver in the lower order.
Team progress
Afghanistan's batting unit shows significant improvement
Afghanistan have improved a lot as a batting unit, with their dot-ball percentages and balls-per-boundary figures improving over the years.
However, their batting lineup is mostly right-handed, which makes them vulnerable to left-arm spin and quality leg-spin.
Shahidi is the only left-handed batter but isn't that aggressive against spinners.
Bowling prowess
Afghanistan's spin bowling remains a strong point
Afghanistan's spin bowling remains a strength, even without Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
ACB interim chief selector Ahmad Suliman Khil confirmed Rahman was advised by his doctor to focus on T20s for a while before returning to ODIs.
The team still has four high-quality spinners: Rashid Khan, Ghazanfar Noor, and Nabi each offering unique skills.
They also have two excellent new-ball bowlers in Fazalhaq Farooqi and Omarzai who can swing the new ball both ways and take early wickets.
Information
Here is Afghanistan's squad for Champions Trophy
Afghanistan squad: 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.