Having shocked the world in last year’s ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Jonathan Trott’s side are now just one win away from reaching the final four yet again.
Afghanistan is set to face England in Lahore on Wednesday in their second group-stage match of the Champions Trophy, marking their debut in the tournament.
Afghanistan open their Group B campaign in the Champions Trophy against South Africa in Karachi on Friday.
Ghazanfar will miss the eight-team event held in Pakistan and the UAE in what is a blow to Afghanistan's spin department that is already missing experienced spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Afghanistan's exiled women cricketers will be the first beneficiaries of a new refugee fund started by the Marylebone Cricket Club, the MCC said on Friday.
England and South Africa have been urged to boycott next month's Champions Trophy matches against Afghanistan, whose maiden appearance in the men's 50-overs tournament as one of the world's top eight teams is a testament to their growth in recent years.
Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan in their maiden ICC Men's Champions Trophy campaign as the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed the 15-player squad on Sunday.
England and South Africa share the same group with Afghanistan in the One Day International competition and are under pressure to boycott the fixtures in response to the Taliban government’s crackdown on women's rights since returning to power in August 2021.
Khan, who represented Pakistan across 265 ODIs, 118 Test matches, and led them to a historic Men's T20 World Cup triumph in 2009, amassed over 17,000 runs across formats. He still holds the record for most Test hundreds by a Pakistan batter (34).
Afghanistan's statement win in their opening group match against Uganda showed they have the goods to make a deep impact in the ninth edition of the showpiece event.
Uganda skipper Masaba took positives from his team's T20 World Cup debut, despite the heavy defeat. "Pretty special moment for us, hearing our national anthem and seeing our flag at the World Cup," Masaba said.
This will also be Rashid’s first time captaining the team in a T20 World Cup and the skipper would definitely be keen to make a statement in the USA and the Caribbean.
Bravo has been named as the bowling consultant by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) ahead of the Men's T20 World Cup.
The Afghans are making a name for themselves in white-ball cricket but have had less chance to impress in five-day matches ever since they were granted Test status in 2017.
From pickup games in dusty parks or narrow alleys to high-intensity training at well-kitted academies, young Afghans have cricket fever -- a trend spiked by the surprise performance of the Afghan national team at the recent ODI World Cup.
Afghanistan, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, had definite highs in the tournament with two of their four wins coming against defending champions England and former winners Pakistan.
Pakistan, who have won two and lost two so far in the tournament, have made on change as Mohammad Nawaz makes way for Shadab Khan.
Afghanistan have won just one of their 15 World Cup matches since they joined the tournament in 2015 -- a one-wicket thriller against Scotland in Dunedin eight years ago.
They have made a few changes to the side that faced Pakistan in the recently concluded three-game ODI series. Azmatullah Omarzai and Wafadar Momand miss out on Asia Cup selections. Omarzai had coped a side strain in the series against Pakistan
