Mohammad Nabi is all set to bid adieu to the 50-over format after the 2025 Champions Trophy. The star Afghanistan all-rounder has been in the Afghanistan ODI setup ever since their maiden outing. He has featured in the format for 15 years now and he has been an integral part of the side.
Naseeb Khan who is the chief executive of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) revealed the news to Cricbuzz. He added that Nabi has communicated his desire to retire from ODI cricket to the board but he will continue playing T20 cricket. This means that Nabi will feature in just one format of the game. The off-spinning all-rounder retired from Test cricket back in 2019.
“Yes, Nabi is retiring from ODIs after the Champions Trophy and he informed the board about his desire. He told me few months back that he wants to end his ODI career after the Champions Trophy and we welcome his decision. After the Champions Trophy, what I understand is that, he is expected to continue his T20 career, and that is the plan until now,” Naseeb Khan was quoted saying to Cricbuzz.
Nabi has played a total of 165 ODIs so far, including Afghanistan’s first-ever game against Scotland in 2009. He struck 58 off 64 balls in his maiden outing. Overall, he has amassed 3549 runs at an average of 27.30 and a strike-rate of 86.77 in the 50-over format. He has two hundreds and 17 fifties. Add to that, he has picked up 171 wickets at an economy rate of 4.27.
Both his best batting and bowling performances in ODI cricket came in 2024. He struck 136 off 130 balls against Sri Lanka in February but it came in a losing cause as Afghanistan fell 42 runs short while chasing 382. With the ball, his best figures came against Ireland when he took 5/17 in 10 overs which included three maidens.
The 39-year-old veteran is currently playing against Bangladesh in the UAE. He was the star for Afghanistan in the first ODI as he smashed 84 off 79 balls after he came into bat at 71/5. He also took 1/23 with the ball.
After the ongoing three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, Afghanistan will travel to Zimbabwe in December. Nabi is likely to play a total of five ODIs before the 2025 Champions Trophy.