Aakash Chopra hails Afghanistan's spin attack ahead of Champions Trophy
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has praised Afghanistan's spin attack as their biggest weapon in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He noted that the team is likely to play four strong spinners in their playing XI. The tournament will begin on February 19, with matches being held in Pakistan and Dubai. Afghanistan will face Australia, England, and South Africa in Group B, with all their group matches being played in Pakistan. Here's more.
Spinners' prowess
Chopra praises Afghanistan's spin-bowling lineup
In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra lauded Afghanistan's spin-bowling attack as the best in the tournament. He highlighted Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Allah Ghazanfar, and Mohammad Nabi as crucial players who could provide as much as 40 overs of spin. "What are Afghanistan's strengths? Firstly, the best spin attack of the tournament. They have Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Allah Ghazanfar and Mohammad Nabi.They have one better than the other," he said about the team's spinning prowess.
All-rounders' impact
Afghanistan's all-rounders another strength: Chopra
Chopra also emphasized the wealth of all-rounders in the Afghanistan team as another strength. He named Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Rashid as key contributors. "They have a lot of all-rounders. I think they have some decent all-rounders, who are especially good for these conditions," he said. He then added that the conditions in Pakistan would suit these players.
Numbers
ODI numbers of four potential spinners in Afghanistan's playing XI
Rashid has picked up 198 wickets at an economy rate of 4.20 in 104 ODI innings while averaging 19.87. Meanwhile, Nabi has accounted for 172 dismissals at an economy rate of 4.27 in 161 ODI innings, (AVG: 32.47). Additionally, Ghazanfar (21 wickets in 11 innings) and Noor (nine wickets in 10 innings) share 30 wickets between them in the longer white-ball format.
Squad
Afghanistan's squad for the tournament
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