Ajay Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Younis Khan—do you notice any similarities between the three?
Many people might jokingly say that all three are former cricketers, all right-handed batsmen, and former captains of their respective national teams. While these are common traits shared by many, there’s another interesting similarity: Afghanistan has united Jadeja, Bravo, and Younis at one point. These three legends have been mentors or consultants for Afghanistan cricket.
Afghanistan’s Strategic Mentor Appointments
Recently, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) appointed Younis Khan as the team’s Mentor for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Earlier, Bravo served as a mentor during the 2024 T20 World Cup, and Jadeja took on a similar role during the 2023 ODI World Cup. This is the biggest similarity— all three have mentored the Afghanistan team at different global events.
Now, the question may arise: why has Afghanistan changed mentors so frequently? Or why did Afghanistan appoint three different mentors for three consecutive global tournaments? Ajay Jadeja is from India, Dwayne Bravo is from the West Indies and Younis Khan is from Pakistan. The ACB (Afghanistan Cricket Board) deserves praise for their foresight and strategy.
The ACB expresses its sincere gratitude to Mr. Ajay Jadeja, AfghanAtalan’s mentor, for his pivotal efforts that significantly contributed to Afghanistan’s success at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.#AfghanAtalan | #CWC23 | #WarzaMaidanGata pic.twitter.com/9CXJLYYfuV
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) November 15, 2023
What Is The Mentorship Strategy of Afghanistan?
The key reason for Afghanistan’s unique mentor strategy is simple: ACB appointed former cricketers from countries where global tournaments were being held. India hosted the 2023 ODI World Cup And Ajay Jadeja is from there. Similarly, Dwayne Bravo’s West Indies co-hosted the 2024 T20 World Cup along with the United States, and Younis Khan’s Pakistan will host the 2025 Champions Trophy. In other words, the ACB has appointed former cricketers from the host countries of each ICC tournament as mentors for Afghanistan.
Dwayne Bravo joins the Afghanistan team as Bowling consultant for the T20I World Cup 2024. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/6OEzbU6nQY
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 29, 2024
This strategy of appointing mentors from the host countries where the tournaments are held has proven to be a smart move. It allows key Afghan players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Gurbaz to gain insights into local pitches and conditions.
Afghanistan’s Success in Recent World Tournaments
In the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India, where Ajay Jadeja worked as the mentor, Afghanistan defeated cricketing giants like England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. They earned Sixth Position among the participating teams. If Glenn Maxwell had not played the superhuman innings of 201 runs, Afghanistan might have even reached the semifinals. Despite not advancing to the final stages in 2023, the Afghan team made a significant impact, and Jadeja’s guidance was instrumental. Remarkably, Jadeja didn’t accept any remuneration from the ACB for his mentorship role.
🚨 Pakistan cricket legend Younis Khan to serve as mentor to the Afghanistan side at #ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/UZdfHgoOuZ
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) January 8, 2025
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, Afghanistan stunned the cricketing world by reaching the semifinals, a historic achievement. Dwayne Bravo, the bowling consultant during the tournament, played a pivotal role in shaping the team’s strategies. Although the tournament was held in both the U.S. and West Indies, Afghanistan’s matches were largely played in Bravo’s homeland of the West Indies. Bravo’s insights were critical in Afghanistan’s unexpected success. Rashid Khan’s team defeated New Zealand in the group stage and Australia in the Super Eight. Their win against Bangladesh in what could be called an ‘unwritten quarter-final’ secured their spot in the semifinals of a global tournament for the first time.
Can Younis Khan Lead Them to Glory in the 2025 Champions Trophy?
Now, with Younis Khan appointed as the new mentor for the 2025 Champions Trophy, This time Afghanistan hopes to achieve something significant in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The ACB has a long-standing relationship with the 47-year-old Pak legend who had previously worked with Afghanistan in a training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2022.
As Pakistan is set to host the 2025 Champions Trophy in a hybrid format, Afghanistan’s group-stage matches will take place in Pakistan, while India’s games will be played in Dubai. With this new mentor onboard, Afghanistan is hoping to carry forward the momentum from their past successes into the upcoming ICC event.