New Delhi: A stage like the Champions Trophy is a perfect platform for erstwhile minnows Afghanistan to further showcase their mettle in world cricket. A team which fought numerous odds and continues to do so has reached a stage in the sport where it has become capable of upsetting some of the biggest names in world cricket on its day, which didn’t use to be the case a while back.
For the war-torn country, its cricket team storming into the semifinals of a marquee event like the T20 World Cup 2024 was one of the biggest achievements as they had never ever in history come so close to the title. While a horrendous performance in the semis stopped their challenge in the T20 World Cup, yet their skills, confidence and depth earned applaud from all the quarters.
Statement World Cup campaign
The Afghans announced their renaissance much before the 2024 T20 World Cup as their roar was loud and clear during the ODI World Cup 2023 where they did fail to reach the knockouts but left the showpiece event with heads held high after a statement campaign at the biggest events of the format. The performance at the ODI World Cup did not only help them gain respect in global cricket but also earned a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Fight against heavyweights
The Champions Trophy 2025 will not be an easy affair for the Afghanistan side but they are surely in a place to give a tough to fight to all the biggies placed in group B and be on target for their chase for the global silverware. Afghanistan is placed in the group alongside big names like South Africa, Australia and England with the last two being the toughest of all on the field and psychologically as well after both the Australian and England cricket board raised question marks over women and human rights issues in the Taliban-led country.
Recently, former Australian skipper Ian Chappell, who raised questions about the International Cricket Council (ICC) offering Test status to associate member nations, also raised questions on whether Afghanistan can host a Test series in their nation which is under the rule of the Taliban, with pointing out his fingers towards their capabilities and capacities of hosting a five-day affair.
Chappell also questioned the safety of women in their country that put a ban on females playing any kind of sport among other human rights issues. The game against the Aussies will be the biggest test for Afghanistan, especially keeping in the mind the stern criticism that they have been subjected to not only recently but since they got the Test status in 2018.
On the other hand, another crucial clash against England on February 26 will also be a big test for the Afghanistan side after they faced similar remarks from the country as well. Some politicians in the UK urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to not let their cricket team play against Afghanistan in the CT 2025 considering the unfair treatment meted out to the women in the country by the ruling Taliban government.
This prompted the ECB to issue a statement which read: “At a cricketing level, when women’s and girls’ cricket is growing rapidly around the world, it is heartbreaking that those growing up in Afghanistan are denied this opportunity, but the appalling oppression of women and girls by the Taliban goes so much further,” ECB said.
The matter was then discussed in a ECB board meet where it was decided that things would carry on as usual and England will play Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy. While facing a big team like the England side was already a tough challenge, facing them with a mind full of thoughts would be tougher and will Afghanistan be able to overcome the pressure and deliver is a question we will get answers to very soon.
Pakistan conditions to suit Afghanistan’s style of play?
The conditions of the Pakistan pitches should suit Afghanistan’s style of play with some spin friendly tracks expected to play a crucial role. Their strength in form of the explosive opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, which holds a tremendous record in ODIs, should play a pivotal role in the team’s performance in the event. At the same time, they need to take care and mend their middle-order inconsistency which has been an area of concern for while now.
Their pacers might not come that handy in the CT 2025 but a world-class spin attack led by Rashid Khan can prove vital for their wins in the event making them into a somewhat balanced side which can turn out to be surprising. Additionally, Afghanistan’s ODI performances in the last year against South Africa, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh prove that the side cannot be written off in the much-awaited event.
Champions Trophy 2025: Afghanistan open their campaign against South Africa in the Group B encounter at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 21, Friday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
