Mohammad Nabi Ponders ODI Future; Wants To Play For Afghanistan With His Son

Afghanistan’s renowned all-rounder, Mohammad Nabi, is still uncertain about his ODI future. The all-rounder wants to extend his international career beyond the Champions Trophy 2025.

Previously, the 40-year-old wasn’t going to play in the 50-over format beyond the global event to give youngsters opportunities. But now the all-rounder wants to extend his career and play alongside his son, Hassan Eisakhil, who has already played in numerous T20 leagues, including the Nepal Premier League for Chitwan Rhinos. 

"These might not be my last ODIs, I will probably play less ODIs and give chances to the youngsters to build experience," Nabi told the ICC. "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 is not unseen that the father-son duo has played together, with Bronny James playing in the same setup as his dad, LeBron James, in the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. Nabi wants to do the same, playing cricket alongside his son Eisakhil. 

"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 get 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."

Afghanistan will participate in the Champions Trophy for the first time after finishing in the top eight during the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they nearly beat Australia. 

"The preparations for the Champions Trophy have been good," Nabi said. "I've been busy playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, 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."

Afghanistan kick-off their campaign against South Africa on February 21 in Karachi before playing Australia and England.