Afghanistan has dealt with a blow as off-spinner AM Ghazanfar has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025, starting February 19.
The right-arm bowler, who bagged his maiden IPL contract with the Mumbai Indians for INR 4.8 crores, will miss the marquee event due to a fracture in his L4 vertebra. He was roped in as a replacement for ace spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman.
Mujeeb, who featured in the SA20 season with Paarl Royals, has been on the sidelines after the Zimbabwe tour and wasn’t picked up in the Champions Trophy squad. He has not recovered from his previous injuries.
“AM Ghazanfar, has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to a fracture in the L4 vertebra, specifically in the left pars interarticularis.” ACB said in statement on Wednesday.
“He (Ghazanfar) sustained the injury during Afghanistan’s recently held tour Zimbabwe, and will be sidelined for a minimum of four months and will remain under treatment during this period,” it added.
Nangeyalia Kharote, originally named in the list of reserves, has replaced Ghazanfar in the main squad.
The Afghanistan spin quartet includes, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi and Kharote, who hasn’t played for Afghanistan since the ODI series against Bangladesh in Sharjah.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote , Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik
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