Afghanistan captain predicts 2025 Champions Trophy semi-finalists, names four Pakistan legends in all-time world XI

Afghanistan's cricket captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has opened up about the intense rivalry between his team and Pakistan, especially in light of Afghanistan's remarkable victory over the Men in Green in the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India. 

In a recent discussion on a popular Indian podcast, Shahidi shared his emotions following the triumph, which marked a significant turnaround after a series of near-misses against their neighboring rivals.

"Back home, people were very happy, and if you look at the previous World Cups, the Asia Cup, and the series we had played against Pakistan, we had come very close but didn't win. If we talk about the 2019 World Cup, the match was in our hands but slipped away from us in the end. In the 2022 Asia Cup, Fazalhaq got hit for two sixes by Naseem Shah. Then there was the series against Sri Lanka where we also came very close; one match went to the last over, and Pakistan won that as well. So we were feeling very heavy inside because we had lost almost 8 matches that we had been winning," Shahidi said.

The captain described the euphoric moment of winning against Pakistan in Chennai, stating, "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 questioned about which victory he deemed more significant—against Australia in the 2024 T20 World Cup or the triumph over Pakistan—Shahidi did not hesitate. 

"Both wins were important, but the victory over Pakistan in the ODI World Cup was monumental; people were incredibly happy," he said.

In the same discussion, the 29-year-old also shared his thoughts on several cricketing legends, highlighting his preference for Virat Kohli's cover drive over Babar Azam's. He named Jasprit Bumrah as the best bowler but also acknowledged the prowess of Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi. 

When asked to pick the toughest Pakistan pacer from a selection including Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Amir, Shahidi confidently chose Shaheen.

Looking ahead to the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan, Shahidi revealed his predicted top four semifinal teams: Afghanistan, India, England, and Australia. Interestingly, he opted to exclude the host nation from his list, prompting the podcast host to remind him of Bangladesh's recent Test series victory over Pakistan. Shahidi calmly countered, "The formats are different; this one is ODI now, and it’s a different format."

Finally, Shahidi shared his all-time ODI World XI, a testament to his cricketing knowledge and respect for his peers.

His lineup features: Saeed Anwar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kumar Sangakkara, Inzamam ul Haq, Mahela Jayawardene, Rashid Latif, Andrew Flintoff, Rashid Khan, Waqar Younis, and Jasprit Bumrah.