KABUL, Afghanistan — Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Afghanistan’s 18-year-old right-arm finger spinner, has been ruled out of the 2025 Champions Trophy due to a fracture in the L4 vertebra, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced Wednesday.
Left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote, who was originally listed as a reserve, has been named as his replacement in the main squad.
Ghazanfar sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe late last year and will be sidelined for at least four months, according to the ACB. This means he will also miss the 2025 IPL season, scheduled from March 21 to May 25, where he was set to play for Mumbai Indians after securing his maiden contract.
Ghazanfar has taken 21 wickets in 11 ODIs, but his recent form was underwhelming. After the Zimbabwe tour, he played for MI Emirates in the ILT20 league in the UAE, where he managed just one wicket in three games, conceding runs at an economy rate of 9.48.
20-year-old Kharote, who last played for Afghanistan in November 2024 against Bangladesh in Sharjah, has been called up to replace Ghazanfar. He was instrumental in Afghanistan’s win in the second ODI of that series, taking 3 for 28. Since making his international debut in March 2024, Kharote has played seven ODIs and six T20Is.
Afghanistan still boasts a strong spin contingent, featuring Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi, but remains without Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Mujeeb, who played the SA20 season with Paarl Royals, has not represented Afghanistan since the Zimbabwe tour and was not included in the original Champions Trophy squad. He has also not played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup in India. The ACB stated that he will remain unavailable until he has fully recovered.
Afghanistan Squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy
Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah (vice-captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharote, Naveed Zadran and Noor Ahmad.
