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Ibrahim Zadran recalled as Afghanistan name Champions Trophy squad amid boycott calls

Reuters |
Jan 13, 2025 01:24 PM IST

Afghanistan begin their campaign against South Africa in Karachi on Feb. 21.

Afghanistan have recalled fit-again Ibrahim Zadran in their 15-man Champions Trophy squad, amid ongoing calls for teams to boycott matches against them due to the Taliban government's crackdown on women's rights since returning to power in 2021.

Afghanistan batsmen Rahmanullah Gurbaz, right, and teammate Ibrahim Zadran run between wickets(AP)
Afghanistan batsmen Rahmanullah Gurbaz, right, and teammate Ibrahim Zadran run between wickets(AP)

Afghan opener Zadran has recovered from ankle surgery to make the squad but team management decided against rushing Mujeeb Ur Rehman back into 50-overs cricket after the spinner sprained his hand last year.

Fellow spinner AM Ghaznafar has been drafted in as a like-for-like replacement for Mujeeb.

Afghanistan have brought in former Pakistan captain Younis Khan to mentor the side in what will mark their first appearance in the tournament featuring the top eight One-Day International teams in the world.

"Afghanistan have performed exceptionally well in the past two ICC events," chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board Mirwais Ashraf said in a statement on Sunday.

"Their impressive performances in these two event coupled with their ODI series victories last year will undoubtedly boost their morale and help them deliver an even better campaign this time."

The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side may be faced with some off-field distractions in Pakistan with Group B rivals England and South Africa being urged to boycott their matches.

Both the ECB and Cricket South Africa have ruled out boycotts against Afghanistan in multi-team competitions organised by the governing International Cricket Council (ICC).

They would rather follow a unified and collective approach from all ICC members, the boards said.

Afghanistan begin their campaign against South Africa in Karachi on Feb. 21.

Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran, Farid Ahmad Malik

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ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, RCB Captain Announcement and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news.
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