The rampant injury bug plaguing the teams ahead of the Champions Trophy has also struck Afghanistan’s camp, with rising spin talent Allah Mohammad (AM) Ghazanfar ruled out of the competition due to a fracture in the L4 vertebra. The 18-year-old right-arm off-spinner, who has taken the cricketing world by storm, will now be sidelined for at least four months, ruling him out of both the Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League (IPL).
To fill the void left by Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has swiftly drafted in left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote from the list of reserves for the Champions Trophy. The 20-year-old spinner last played for Afghanistan in November 2024 during the ODI series against Bangladesh, where he starred with figures of 3 for 28 in the second match.
AM Ghazanfar reportedly sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe late last year, yet featured in three matches for MI Emirates in the ILT20 in January. However, his performances were underwhelming, raising suspicions that something was amiss. He bowled just 7.1 overs across three games, picking up one wicket at an economy rate of 9.48.
The injury setback also means that Ghazanfar will miss the IPL 2025 season, where he was set to represent Mumbai Indians after securing his maiden contract.
| Player |
|---|
| Hashmatullah Shahidi (C) |
| Ibrahim Zadran |
| Ikram Alikhil (WK) |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK) |
| Sediqullah Atal |
| Rahmat Shah (VC) |
| Azmatullah Omarzai |
| Gulbadin Naib |
| Mohammad Nabi |
| Rashid Khan |
| Fareeh Ahmad |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi |
| Nangeyalia Kharote |
| Naveed Zadran |
| Noor Ahmad |
With the Champions Trophy squad now finalised without Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Afghanistan will shift its focus to adjusting to these last-minute changes as they aim to make a strong impact in their debut Champions Trophy campaign.