The captain of Afghanistan Hashmatullah Shahidi He has stirred up a storm with his bold predictions for the future. ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan. Shahidi named Afghanistan, India, England and Australia as his favourite semi-finalists for the prestigious tournament.
It is noteworthy that the Afghanistan captain has surprisingly left out host country Pakistan from his picks for the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-finalists.
Shahidi’s comments came during an interesting appearance on a popular Indian podcast, where he confidently picked his semi-finalists for the tournament.
Hashmatullah Shahidi surprises fans with his predictions for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals
His statement that Afghanistan would secure a place in the semi-finals of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 in February-March next year surprised many but his recent rise in international cricket justified his decision.
The Afghanistan cricket team defeated top teams like Australia, New Zealand, England and Pakistan Afghanistan has been a very prominent player in white-ball cricket in recent years. Earlier this year, Afghanistan had created history by reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they suffered a heartbreaking defeat to South Africa.
When Shahidi was asked why he had not considered Pakistan, the Afghan captain calmly changed his stance. He said Pakistan can be a dangerous team in their conditions, so they can replace the hosts with England as their fourth semi-finalist for the upcoming Champions Trophy in 2025.
However, the hosts reminded Shahidi of the thrashing Pakistan received at the hands of Bangladesh in the recent Test series. To which the Afghanistan captain stressed that Test matches and ODIs are different formats, so Pakistan cannot be taken lightly because of their home conditions.
He told Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube podcast: “The formats are different; this is now ODI and it is a different format.”
Meanwhile, Australia, being the winners of the 2023 ODI World Cup, and their given record earned them a place in Shahidi’s Top-4 for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. He also picked India, the winners of the 2013 Champions Trophy, as one of the favourites to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious event, along with England.
Shahidi reveals his all-time ODI XI
Meanwhile, Shahidi also revealed his all-time ideal XI, which highlights his deep knowledge and admiration for legendary players from around the world. The Afghan star’s all-time ideal XI includes Pakistan’s explosive Saeed Anwar and India’s stylish Rohit Sharma as his openers.
Their batting order is bolstered by Indian icon Virat Kohli, Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara and legendary Pakistani batsman Inzamam ul Haq. Sri Lankan big man Mahela Jayawardene is adding finesse to Shahidi’s batting line-up, complemented by Rashid Latif behind the stumps.
Former England spinner Andrew Flintoff brings versatility to his side. Shahidi’s attack featured Afghan pacer Rashid Khan, legendary Pakistan spinner Waqar Younis and India’s greatest ever spinner Jasprit Bumrah to complete his all-time ODI XI.
Here is Hashmatullah Shahidi’s all-time best XI:
Saeed Anwar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kumar Sangakkara, Inzamam ul Haq, Mahela Jayawardene, Rashid Latif, Andrew Flintoff, Rashid Khan, Waqar Younis and Jasprit Bumrah.