ICC Champions Trophy 2025: 4 Semifinalists locked

Afghanistan's captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has sparked a storm with his bold predictions for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan. Shahidi named Afghanistan, India, England, and Australia as his favorite semifinalists for the prestigious tournament.

Notably, the Afghanistan captain has surprisingly left out the host nation, Pakistan, from his picks for the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinalists.

Shahidi's comments came during an engaging appearance on a popular Indian podcast, where he confidently picked his semifinalists for the tournament.

Hashmatullah Shahidi stuns fans with ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal predictions

His statement that Afghanistan would secure a place in the semifinals of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 in February-March next year stunned many, but their recent rise in international cricket justified his decision.

The Afghanistan cricket team defeated the top teams like Australia, New Zealand, England, and Pakistan in the white-ball cricket in the past couple of years. Earlier this year, Afghanistan had scripted history by making it to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2024, where they suffered a heartbreaking defeat to South Africa.

When Shahidi was asked why he overlooked Pakistan, the Afghanistan skipper calmly changed his stance. He said that Pakistan can be a dangerous team under their conditions, so he can replace the hosts with England as his fourth semifinalist for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

However, the hosts reminded Shahidi about Pakistan’s whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh in the recent Test series. To which the Afghanistan captain stressed that Tests and ODIs are different formats, so Pakistan can’t be taken lightly on their home conditions.

He told Shubhankar Mishra on his podcast on YouTube: “The formats are different; this one is ODI now, and it’s a different format.”

Meanwhile, Australia, being the ODI World Cup 2023 winner, and their given track record earned a place in Shahidi’s Top-4 for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. He also picked India, the winners of the Champions Trophy 2013, as one of the favorites to reach the semifinals of the prestigious event, along with England.

Shahidi reveals his all-time ODI World XI

Meanwhile, Shahidi also revealed his all-time ODI World XI, which highlights his deep insight and admiration for legendary players across the world. The Afghan star’s all-time ODI World XI features Pakistan’s explosive Saeed Anwar and India’s elegant Rohit Sharma as his openers.

His batting order is bolstered by the Indian batting icon Virat Kohli, Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, and legendary Pakistani batter Inzamam ul Haq. Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene is adding finesse to Shahidi’s batting line-up, complemented by Rashid Latif behind the stumps.

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff brings versatility to his team. Shahidi’s bowling attack featured the Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, Pakistan’s legendary bowler Waqar Younis, and India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah to complete his all-time ODI World XI.

Here’s Hashmatullah Shahidi’s all-time ODI World 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.