Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has been appointed as the Afghanistan cricket team’s mentor for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting from February 19,  the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed on Wednesday

“Younis Khan will accompany the team during their conditioning and preparation camp in Pakistan, offering his mentorship services until the conclusion of the tournament,” the ACB said in a statement.

Younis Khan previously served as a batting coach for Afghanistan in April 2022.

“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. We already had efficient experience with hosting countries’ mentors in ODI World Cup 2023 and T20I World Cup 2024. Observing the conditions, therefore, we have appointed Younis Khan as mentor for our national team for the upcoming mega event and wish him best of the luck in his crucial assignment,”  ACB Chief Executive Officer Naseeb Khan said.

The Afghanistan team had previously benefited from the expertise of players from host nations in major tournaments in the last ODI and T20 World Cups.

The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will kick off on 19 February with host and defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser in Karachi.

Younis will leverage his extensive coaching experience to assist Afghanistan by utilizing his knowledge of conditions in Pakistan.

The former captain is considered a legend in Pakistan cricket, having led the country to their only ICC T20 World Cup title in 2009. He is also the only Pakistani batter to cross the 10,000-run barrier in Test cricket