After their first World Cup appearance in 2010, Afghanistan have made rapid strides in their past two ICC tournaments. The 2025 Champions Trophy could symbolise their graduation to the next level, potentially culminating in the ultimate prize – the trophy.
The 2023 ODI World Cup was Afghanistan’s coming of age
Afghanistan gave the world the first shock of the 2023 ODI World Cup when they beat titleholders England comprehensively. It was then the most prized outcome in their international history. Before that game, Afghanistan's only victory at the World Cup in 17 attempts was against Scotland back in the 2015 edition.
But, going by cricketing logic, such upsets are not alien in a tournament like the World Cup and England have been at the receiving end of them on numerous occasions.
However, Rashid Khan, undoubtedly the biggest sports icon to have come up from the country, didn’t consider the victory as a one-off: he believed it would act as a catalyst for his team to achieve greater things ahead in the tournament.
"We were very close there but we were not winning those games, which was disappointing to the players because they were working very hard and in the end, they were ending on the wrong side. They were not getting the right kind of energy and boost up. This win will give us a lot of energy for the rest of the competition. Now we have the belief that we can beat any side at any time," Rashid said after the match.
Babar Azam as an opener in the tri-series: 10, 23, 29.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 15, 2025
Despite his low scores, Pakistan head coach Aqib Javed hints that he would continue to bat at the top in the Champions Trophy.
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/jGSCWq2qKE pic.twitter.com/VvOIpJYgwf
Next, they managed to beat two more former titleholders. A record 283-run chase against Pakistan was followed by a one-sided seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka. By then, the world had already realised that Rashid’s words weren't merely a hyperbole coming off the highs of a great victory.
Entering the league match against Australia, they had the destiny in their own hands, needing just two wins out of two to reach the knockouts. Afghanistan almost did the unthinkable, having reduced Australia to 91-7 within 19 overs while defending 291-5. As luck would have it, an all-time rescue act from Glenn Maxwell deprived them of the glory.
In hindsight, there could be plenty of "what could have been" had their batting not faltered against Bangladesh and dropped those catches – against New Zealand, and especially off Maxwell, who was given a reprieve on 33.
But had Afghanistan been told before the tournament that they would finish above England and Sri Lanka on the points table, along with a maiden Champions Trophy berth, they would have taken that with both hands. The campaign was not only Afghanistan’s best effort at that time, it suggested that they could be serious contenders in future global tournaments.
T20 World Cup 2024 consolidated Afghanistan's rising stature
At the T20 World Cup the following year, Afghanistan’s semi-final dream finally came to fruition. After beating New Zealand in the group stage, they did somewhat find salvation, first by beating Australia in the Super Eights and then by sealing their maiden semi-final berth in a cat-and-mouse rain-curtailed match against Bangladesh.
Adding to the drama, Gulbadin Naib was seen holding his hamstring seemingly writhing in pain, moments after head coach Jonathan Trott had signalled for Afghanistan to slow down the game with the team ahead of the DLS par score.
Playing the semi-final against South Africa within the next 48 hours, Afghanistan, however, succumbed to a nine-wicket loss on an unpredictable Tarouba wicket.
Few would blame them for being sated with their achievement, but Trott was both disappointed and pragmatic after the semi-final drubbing: "We arrived to the ground in high spirits ready to take on a strong South African side and make sure we gave a good account of ourselves, and I feel like we haven't done that today. That's the most disappointing thing.
"I'm very proud of the guys. This one performance doesn't necessarily define the tournament, but it also gives us an indication of where we need to work on and what we need to get better at. If we're going to be competitive more consistently, and who we can rely on with the bat and who's going to get us over the line, certainly if we have to chase."
World Cup form seeping into bilaterals
Having made a reputation of being the giant slayers in global tournaments, the consistency has now started to show in bilateral series. Another redemption arc unfolded when they beat South Africa by 2-1 in September last year, their first ODI series after the T20 World Cup final heartbreak. The win was also Afghanistan’s first against a top-five ranked nation. Since the 2023 World Cup, they have won four out of five series in the format.
When you look at their team combination, they don’t have all the boxes ticked to be a world-beating white-ball side. But on their day, they can give anyone a run for their money with the optimum use of the resources at their disposal. Given their brittle middle order, they are over-reliant on the prolific opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran and the duo has lived up to the expectations by scoring the second-highest runs (1,514 at 48.83) as an opening pair since 2020. Only Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have scored more (1,874 at 72).
Their strength lies in their unmatchable depth of spin flotilla, which is expected to play a decisive role on the belters of Karachi and Lahore, the venues for their three group matches. Despite mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, their highest wicket-taker since the 2023 ODI World Cup, missing due to a back injury, Afghanistan still possess a potent spin attack led by veterans Rashid and Mohammad Nabi with support from left-arm variety of Noor Ahmad and Nangeyalia Kharote.
Afghanistan are placed in Group B alongside England, Australia and South Africa, meaning a top-two finish will guarantee them a semi-final spot. England's poor form and recent struggles against spin in India, and Australia's injury-stricken squad give them a realistic chance to make it to the knockouts.
Afghanistan being a mere bye for the opponents in an ICC tournament is long gone. For the first time, they enter as one of the potential champions – if not the outright favourites, then certainly as dark horses.
