The upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy is set to begin on February 19 in Pakistan. The last edition was played in 2017 in England where Pakistan defeated India in the final.
In the upcoming edition, Afghanistan will feature in the Champions Trophy as the side has been drawn in Group B with Australia, England and South Africa for the tournament starting on February 19. The side will play its matches in Karachi and Lahore.
To prepare well and ace the trophy, Afghanistan has decided to sign up Pakistan’s Younis Khan as a mentor. Khan had worked with Afghanistan in 2022, at a 15-day training camp in Abu Dhabi with an expanded squad of 25.
This is now three-time in a row where the ACB has appointed a mentor for the team from the host country for the global tournament.
They had Ajay Jadeja as a mentor for the World Cup 2023 in India, Dwayne Bravo as a bowling consultant in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA and now they have appointed Younis Khan as a mentor for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
ACB chief executive Naseeb Khan said of Younis’ appointment: “Since the Champions Trophy is being held in Pakistan, it was required to assign a talented and experienced player as mentor from the hosting country. We already had efficient experience with hosting countries’ mentors in the ODI World Cup 2023 and T20I World Cup 2024.
“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.”
Younis Khan is not new to this role as he took coaching assignment for Pakistan’s senior men team in 2021 but he could not continue working for the national side due to differences with the PCB.
The former batter has played 265 ODIs, scoring over 7,000 runs, and participated in 118 Test matches for Pakistan, amassing more than 10,000 runs.
The excitement for champions trophy has begun as now teams will be announcing the preliminary squads by 12th January, teams have until midnight on February 11 to finalize their initial squads, after which the tournament period officially begins on February 12.
The excitement builds up to the prestigious Champions Trophy, which starts on February 19 in Karachi, marking the beginning of a thrilling month-long cricket extravaganza.
Until February 11, teams have the flexibility to make changes to their squads without needing ICC approval.
ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 schedule:
19 Feb – Pakistan v New Zealand, National Stadium, Karachi
20 Feb – Bangladesh v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
21 Feb – Afghanistan v South Africa, National Stadium, Karachi
22 Feb – Australia v England, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
23 Feb – Pakistan v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
24 Feb – Bangladesh v New Zealand, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
25 Feb – Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
26 Feb – Afghanistan v England, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
27 Feb – Pakistan v Bangladesh, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
28 Feb – Afghanistan v Australia, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
1 Mar – South Africa v England, National Stadium, Karachi
2 Mar – New Zealand v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
4 Mar – Semi-final 1, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai*
5 Mar – Semi-final 2, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore**
9 Mar – Final – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore***
All matches start at 14h00 Pakistan Standard Time
* Semi-final 1 will involve India if they qualify
**Semi-final 2 will involve Pakistan if they qualify
*** If India qualify for the final it will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
