Afghanistan Announces Champions Trophy Squad

Afghanistan has announced its 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy 2025, featuring the return of opener Ibrahim Zadran following an ankle injury. However, spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been excluded due to ongoing recovery advice, with AM Ghazanfar stepping in as his replacement. This tournament marks Afghanistan's first participation in the Champions Trophy, which will take place from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan and the UAE. In the lead-up to the event, there have been calls for teams to boycott matches against Afghanistan due to the Taliban's crackdown on women's rights, although both the ECB and Cricket South Africa have decided against such actions. Afghanistan recently achieved notable successes in white-ball formats, finishing sixth in the 2023 ODI World Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup. They will kick off their campaign against South Africa on February 21.