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Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan will return to the Afghanistan cricket setup as a mentor for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Younis had previously worked with Afghanistan during a 15-day training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2022, where he guided an expanded squad of 25 players. His mentorship proved valuable, and now, the Afghanistan Cricket Board […]
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan will return to the Afghanistan cricket setup as a mentor for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Younis had previously worked with Afghanistan during a 15-day training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2022, where he guided an expanded squad of 25 players. His mentorship proved valuable, and now, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has invited him back to help prepare the team for the upcoming tournament.
Younis will join the Afghanistan squad in Pakistan for a conditioning camp ahead of the Champions Trophy, which will begin on February 19 in Karachi. He will remain with the team for the duration of the tournament, providing his expertise to help Afghanistan perform at their best in this prestigious event.
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The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has continued its practice of appointing mentors from the host country for global tournaments. For the 2025 Champions Trophy, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan will step in as the mentor. This follows a similar approach taken for the previous two tournaments: Ajay Jadeja was appointed as the mentor for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, and Dwayne Bravo served as the bowling consultant for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA. In those tournaments, Afghanistan achieved significant milestones, with their sixth-place finish in the 2023 World Cup, securing automatic qualification for the Champions Trophy, and their semi-final appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, their best-ever performance in a global tournament.
ACB CEO Naseeb Khan emphasized the importance of having a mentor from the host country for the Champions Trophy, given the tournament’s location in Pakistan. He expressed confidence in Younis Khan’s ability to guide the national team, noting Afghanistan’s previous success with hosting country mentors. “We have appointed Younis Khan as the mentor for our national team for the upcoming mega event and wish him the best of luck in his crucial assignment,” Khan said.
Afghanistan is placed in Group B at the Champions Trophy, alongside Australia, England, and South Africa. The tournament will be primarily held in Pakistan, with only matches involving India being played in Dubai. Younis Khan, who retired from international cricket in 2017, boasts an impressive career with 118 Tests, 265 ODIs, and 25 T20Is. After his retirement, he ventured into coaching, briefly serving as Pakistan’s batting coach in 2021 before parting ways with the PCB due to differences.
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