‘I want to play along my son’ Nabi hints U-turn on retirement
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi on Monday, suggested he might reconsider his retirement plans from international cricket after forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Last year, Nabi announced that he would hang his boots in One Day International cricket after the mega-event set to be held in Pakistan.
The all-rounder revealed these thoughts in an interview with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“I’m still thinking (about the future). These might not be my last ODIs, I will probably play less ODIs and give chances to the youngsters to build experience,” said Nabi.
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“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,’ said the off-spinner.
Nabi further stated that he wants to play less ODI cricket to prolong his career so that he gets to fulfill his dream of playing with his son. His 18-year-old son, Hassan Eisakhil, played for Afghanistan in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup.
“It’s my dream (to play for Afghanistan together). Hopefully, we can do it,” Nabi told the ICC.
“He is doing very well. In the last two games, he scored a hundred and 95. He is a hard worker, and I’m also pushing him to do work,” said the all-rounder.\
Mohammad Nabi emphasized the importance of setting high goals and the key to success at the highest level of cricket.
“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+.”
“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,” concluded Nabi.
Afghanistan will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against South Africa in Karachi on February 21 before traveling to Lahore to play England and Australia on February 26 and 28.
Afghanistan squad for ICC 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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