Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has appointed former Pakistan captain Younis Khan as their mentor for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 which will be played in hybrid model.
"ACB has assigned former experienced top order Pakistani player Younis Khan as Mentor for Champions Trophy 2025. He (Younis) will join the team before the event starts in Pakistan," Sayeed Naseem Sadat, the spokesperson of ACB told Cricbuzz.
This isn't the first time Younis has been a part of Afghanistan team's coaching staff. In 2022, he served as their batting coach. Since his retirement, Younis has had several short stints with national teams in franchises including Pakistan, Pakistan Super League's (PSL) Peshawar Zalmi and Abu Dhabi T10 League's Bangla Tigers.
Younis' batting numbers
In ODI cricket, the 47-year-old has an impressive record. He scored 7,249 runs from 265 ODIs including seven centuries and 48 fifties. However, his average of 31.24 is underwhelming. His record was far better in Test cricket with 10,099 runs averaging 52.05. His red-ball career was laced with 34 centuries and 33 fifties.
Afghanistan's Champions Trophy debut
Hashmatullah Shahidi-led Afghanistan will make their Champions Trophy debut on February 21 against inaugural edition's winners South Africa at National Stadium, Karachi. Afghanistan have been placed in Group B alongside Australia and England.
Afghanistan recently beat Zimbabwe in the Test series 1-0 with Rashid Khan bagging a seven-wicket haul and Rahmat Shah, debutant Ismat Alam scoring centuries. While their batting has improved over the years, Younis' main job will be to help them counter diverse bowling attacks on Pakistan pitches. If they qualify for the semifinals, they have had plenty of experience on UAE pitches.
No boycott from England
Earlier this week, there were calls from British politicians to boycott their clash against Afghanistan. They urged English cricketers and officials to speak out against "horrific treatment of women" in the country. However, England Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould in his reply wrote that it is ICC's call as will maintain their stance over not engaing in bilateral series across formats.