Former Pakistan captain appointed mentor of Afghanistan for 2025 Champions Trophy: Reports

Former Pakistan batter Younis Khan has been appointed Afghanistan's team mentor for the 2025 Champions Trophy. He served as the team's batting coach for a short period in 2022 and was linked with the head coach role in 2017 as well.

Younis Khan worked on a temporary contract with the Afghanistan team during their 15-day training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2022. His first major coaching gig was with the Pakistan men's team, where he served as the batting coach before quitting six months into his stint in June 2021.

"ACB has assigned former experienced top order Pakistani player Younis Khan as Mentor for Champions Trophy 2025. He (Younis) will join the team before the event starts in Pakistan," Sayeed Naseem Sadat, the spokesman of ACB, confirmed to Cricbuzz on Wednesday.

The former prolific batter has also worked with the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He was the head coach of the Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 League after his appointment was made official in October 2024. The franchise finished second from bottom in the recently concluded edition.

Afghanistan have been slotted in Group B of the 2025 Champions Trophy alongside Australia, South Africa, and England. Their campaign begins with a match against South Africa on February 21 at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Ajay Jadeja was the Afghanistan team mentor in 2023 ODI World Cup

Afghanistan have been able to rope in some renowned former players into their coaching setup in the recent past. The team have been making giant strides under Jonathan Trott's reign as head coach, which includes qualification for the Champions Trophy, and a semi-final run in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The team did not have an official mentor, per se, during the T20 World Cup but had a huge name in Dwayne Bravo as the bowling consultant.

During the 2023 ODI World Cup, Afghanistan had former India player Ajay Jadeja as their mentor. He played a crucial role in the team's historic sixth-place finish in the tournament, where they beat the likes of England and Pakistan.

Furthermore, Ajay Jadeja did not seek any payment for his mentorship services for the tournament.