Ibrahim Zadran returns for Afghanistan in Champions Trophy squad

In response to ongoing calls for teams to boycott matches against them due to the Taliban government’s crackdown on women’s rights since its 2021 re-election, Afghanistan has recalled fit-again batter Ibrahim Zadran to their ICC Champions Trophy squad.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) named a 15-man squad on Sunday after opener Zadran recovered from ankle surgery.

Mujeeb Ur Rehman, a right-arm spinner who sprained his hand last year, was not chosen for inclusion in the lineup because the team management chose not to rush him back into 50-overs cricket.

AM Ghaznafar has been chosen as a like-for-like replacement for Mujeeb, along with fellow spinner AM Ghaznafar. Sediqullah Atal, the fast-rising opener, also made the squad.

“Zadran, who was away from action due to an ankle injury, has returned to the squad”, said a statement from the ACB.

“However, Mujeeb Ur Rahman misses out on the selection, as AM Ghazanfar, a similar mystery spinner, has made the cut for the mega event”.

Ahmad Suliman Khil, acting ACB chief selector, said that Rahman was cut out because “his doctor has advised him to concentrate on T20s for a while to ensure his full recovery.”

Afghanistan has recently had impressive international success, winning the T20 World Cup 2024 and the 50-over World Cup in 2023.

Afghanistan will take part in the eight-nation Champions Trophy for the first time in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, which will take place on February 19 and March 9.

Former Pakistani captain Younis Khan has been hired to serve as the country’s mentor.

The chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board stated in a statement that “Afghanistan have performed exceptionally well in the past two ICC events.”

Their impressive performances in these two events, combined with their triumphs in the ODI series last year, are expected to raise their morale and enable them to launch an even better campaign this time, according to ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf.

With Group B rivals England and South Africa being asked to boycott their matches, the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led team may encounter some off-field distractions in Pakistan.

Both the International Cricket Council (ICC)-governed England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket South Africa have declared no boycotts of international matches against Afghanistan.

The boards stated that they prefer to see all ICC members take a unified and collective position.

On February 21, Afghanistan will begin their offensive against South Africa in Karachi.

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