“It’s my dream” - Mohammad Nabi reconsiders ODI retirement; wants to play with his son for Afghanistan

Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi may not retire from ODIs after the 2019 Champions Trophy as previously planned, and he aspires to play international cricket alongside his son Hassan Eisakhil.

Nabi, 40, said in November last year that he would retire from ODIs at the end of the Champions Trophy but is now "still thinking" about his future.

Eisakhil, Nabi's 18-year-old son, is a batter who competed for Afghanistan in the Under-19 World Cup in 2024, and his father thinks they will play together for the country soon.

"These might not be my last ODIs; I will probably play fewer ODIs and give chances to the youngsters to build experience. I've discussed with the senior players, and in the high-level games, maybe or maybe not, we'll see. It will depend on my fitness.

"It's my dream. Hopefully, we can do it. He is doing very well … he is a hard worker and I'm also pushing him to do work. I want him to make his own goals; if you want to be a high-level cricketer, you have to work hard. It's not enough to make 50 or 60; you have to score 100-plus. He's listening and pushing all the time. When he can talk to me, I try to give him advice to give him confidence for the game,” Nabi told ICC.

Afghanistan, who will be making their maiden Champions Trophy appearance in the 2025 edition, is slotted in Group B alongside Australia, England, and South Africa.

Mohammad Nabi says Afghanistan is ready for the ICC Champions Trophy challenge

It is their debut appearance in the competition, having finished sixth in the 2023 ODI World Cup. They also reached the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Afghanistan will begin its campaign against South Africa on February 21 at the National Stadium in Karachi, before traveling to Lahore to face England and Australia on February 26 and 28, respectively.

"The preparations for the Champions Trophy have been good. I've been busy playing in the Bangladesh Premier League; I was a champion over there. I did three sessions with the national team in Abu Dhabi, so I'm in good shape.

Winning the BPL gave me more confidence from a tough position in the final. In the whole tournament, we did really well, and my performances were good as well, bowling and also batting. I helped finish the job in four or five matches,” Nabi added.

Afghanistan squad for Champions Trophy 2025

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran, and Farid Ahmad Malik.

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