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Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi on Wednesday, made a bold prediction regarding the semi-finalist teams of the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in Pakistan next year.
Shahidi appeared in a podcast with an Indian journalist and was asked to share which four teams he foresee in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025.
In response, the Afghanistan captain picked Afghanistan, India, England, and Australia, leaving out Pakistan – the hosts of the eight-team tournament. His answer prompted the podcast host to mention Bangladesh’s first-ever Test series victory over Pakistan.
But Hashmatullah Shahidi swiftly countered, stating, “The formats are different; this one is ODI now, and it’s a different format.”
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Shahidi also commented on the growing intense rivalry between Pakistan and Afghanistan and also shared insights regarding their famous victory over the former champions in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 which came after a series of heartbreaks for the Atalans.
“Back home, people were very happy. If you look at previous World Cups, the Asia Cup, and series against Pakistan, we came very close but didn’t win. The 2019 World Cup match was in our hands but slipped away, and in the 2022 Asia Cup, we faced heartbreak when Fazal Haq got hit for two sixes by Naseem Shah. We had lost almost eight matches that we were winning,” Shahidi reflected.
“When we got the opportunity, I was lucky to lead the team, and I finished the match. After winning, it felt great; I couldn’t sleep the whole night out of happiness.”
When asked to compare Afghanistan’s victory over Pakistan in the ODI World Cup to that of their triumph over Australia in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Hashmatullah Shahidi emphasized both wins were important but described beating Pakistan as “monumental”.
“Both wins were important, but the victory over Pakistan in the ODI World Cup was monumental; people were incredibly happy.”
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