Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is treading on the proven path that has brought them success in the past. In the last two ICC events, the Afghanistan Cricket Team managed to exceed expectations by some big margins. Much of their success was down to the mentors, who helped the team improve their performances.

The 2023 ODI World Cup was held in India and Afghanistan appointed Ajay Jadeja as mentor for the tournament. Similarly, Dwayne Bravo was tasked with the role of "bowling consultant" for the 2024 T20I World Cup, which was held in the USA and the Caribbean.

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Afghanistan Appoints "Mentor"

Now, implementing the same strategy, the ACB has appointed former Pakistan player Younis Khan as the team's "Mentor". Since the tournament is being held in Pakistan, other than India's matches, Afghanistan team is hoping to get the same success they got in the previous two ICC events in which they went with the mentor from the host country.

ACB CEO Naseeb Khan also acknowledged that appointing mentor from the host country was crucial for the team's success in the upcoming tournament.

Observing the conditions, therefore, we have appointed Younis Khan as mentor for our national team for the upcoming mega event and wish him best of luck in his crucial assignment," Naseeb Khan said.

Younis Khan's Familiarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Team

This isn't the first time Younis Khan is working with the Afghanistan Cricket team. Back in 2022, the Pakistan great conducted a 15-day training camp in Abu Dhabi, where he trained a squad of 25 players. Khan will stay with the Afghanistan team for the entire duration of the Champions Trophy.

Younis Khan's Coaching Experience

Since retiring from the International cricket in 2017, Younis Khan has moved to the coaching. His first offer was from the Afghanistan Cricket Board, but Khan declined the offer back then.

In June 2020, Khan was appointed as the batting by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for Pakistan's tour of England. His last stint as a coach, and as mentioned above, was with the Afghanistan team for the Dubai Camp.

Younis Khan's Stats As A Player

Younis Khan is hailed as one of the best technically-gifted batsmen to come from Pakistan. He maintained an average of over 50 in tests cricket, racking up 10,099 runs in 118 tests. He was also an effective white-ball player and won the T20I World Cup (2009) and Asia Cup (2012) with the Pakistan team.

Afghanistan Cricket Team Schedule In ICC Champions Trophy

The 8-team ICC Champions Trophy will kick-off on February 19 with the match between New Zealand and host team Pakistan. As for Afghanistan, their first match is against South Africa on February 21, followed by matches against England (February 26) and Australia (February 28).

Eight teams are divided into two groups of four teams each, with only two teams from each group qualifying to the next round, i.e. the semifinal.