Afghanistan hires Younis Khan as team mentor for Champions Trophy
Islamabad, Jan 8: Afghanistan has hired former Pakistan captain Younis Khan as a mentor for its men's cricket team at next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said in a statement on Wednesday that the 47-year-old batting great will join the team in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy and will stay with Afghanistan at the tournament.
Younis, who played 118 Tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20s for Pakistan, retired from international cricket in 2017 and briefly worked with the national team as batting coach in 2021 before quitting after differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Afghanistan is in Group B with England, Australia and South Africa. It will play its first match against South Africa at Karachi on Feb. 21.
More than 160 U.K. politicians have urged England to refuse to play against Afghanistan. The politicians wrote asking the England and Wales Cricket Board to take a stand against the Taliban regime's assault on women's rights.
It will be a second stint for Younis with Afghanistan, having previously worked with the team at a training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2022.
It will be the third straight major ICC tournament where Afghanistan has utilized local expertise by appointing a mentor, after former India international Ajay Jadeja for the 2023 World Cup in India, and Dwayne Bravo as bowling consultant at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and U.S.
“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,” ACB chief executive Naseeb Khan said.
Afghanistan finished sixth at the World Cup in India after beating England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to seal its Champions Trophy place. At the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan advanced to the semifinals.
The Champions Trophy will begin Feb. 19 at Karachi.
India, which is in Group A with Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh, will play all its games in Dubai.
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Gill leads Gujarat Titans to 5-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders
Ahmedabad (PTI): Shubman Gill led from the front with a classy 86 as Gujarat Titans defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in an Indian Premier League match here on Friday.
Earlier, KKR all-rounder Cameron Green produced a fighting 79 off 55 balls to lift his side to 180 all out. In reply, Gill anchored the chase with a composed 86 off 50 deliveries as GT crossed the line in 19.4 overs.
The win marked GT's third successive victory after opening with two losses, while KKR's search for their first win of the season continues.
Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 180 all out in 20 overs (Cameron Green 79; Kagiso Rabada 3/29, Mohammed Siraj 2/23).
Gujarat Titans: 181 for 5 in 19.4 overs (Shubman Gill 86; Varun Chakravarthy 2/34).
