Captain of Afghanistan Hashemtullah Shahidi caused a storm with his bold predictions of the future ICC Champions Trophy 2025 In Pakistan. Shahidi named Afghanistan, India, England and Australia as favorite semi-finalists of the prestigious tournament.
It should be noted that the captain of Afghanistan surprisingly left the hosts Pakistan out of the semi-finalists of the Champions Cup 2025.
Shahid’s comments came during an interesting appearance on a popular Indian podcast where he confidently picked his semi-finalists for the tournament.
Hashmatullah Shahidi stuns fans with his ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final predictions
His declaration that Afghanistan will qualify for the semi-finals of next year’s Champions Trophy 2025 in February-March surprised many, but their recent rise in international cricket has justified his decision.
Afghanistan cricket team beat top teams like Australia, New Zealand, England and so on Pakistan in white ball cricket in the last few years. Earlier this year, Afghanistan made history by losing to South Africa in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024.
When Shahidi was asked why he was ignoring Pakistan, the Afghanistan captain quietly changed his stance. He said that Pakistan could be a dangerous team under their conditions, hence replacing the hosts with England as their fourth semi-finalist for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
However, the hosts reminded Shahidi of Pakistan’s whitewash in the last Test series at the hands of Bangladesh. The Afghanistan captain emphasized that Tests and ODIs are different formats, so Pakistan cannot be taken lightly in their home environment.
He told Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube podcast, “Formats are different; it’s ODIs now and it’s a different format.”
At the same time, ODI World Cup 2023 winners Australia and their given record have secured a place in the Top-4 for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. He also picked 2013 Champions Trophy winners India as one of the favourites. Reaching the semi-finals 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 understanding and admiration for legendary players across the globe. The Afghanistan star was opened by Pakistan’s explosive Saeed Anwar and India’s elegant Rohit Sharma in his all-time ODI World XI.
His batting order is bolstered by Indian batting icon Virat Kohli, Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara and legendary Pakistani batsman Inzamam ul Haq. Sri Lankan prodigy Mahela Jayawardene adds flair to Shahid’s batting line-up, complemented behind the stumps by Rashid Latif.
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff brings versatility to his team. Shahid’s bowling attack featured Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, Pakistan bowling legend Waqar Younis and India’s top pacer Jasprit Bumrah to complete the all-time ODI World XI.
Here is Hashmatullah Shahid’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.
