Although Afghanistan didn’t make it to the Champions Trophy semi-finals, two of their players earned spots in the tournament’s best XI: opener Ibrahim Zadran and all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai. New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner was named captain of the team, despite finishing as runners-up.
India clinched the Champions Trophy title by defeating New Zealand 4 wickets in the final on Sunday in Dubai. The following day, the ICC announced the tournament’s best 12 players, with six of them coming from India.
None of the players from Australia or South Africa, who were eliminated before the semi-finals, made the best XI.
From the runners-up New Zealand, four players were included, including captain Santner and top performer Rachin Ravindra. Ravindra played in all five of New Zealand’s matches, scoring two centuries. He finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 263 runs at an average of 66.75 and a strike rate of 106.47. He also took three wickets, giving just 4.66 runs per over.
Ravindra set records as the eighth player in the world and the first from New Zealand to score multiple centuries in a single Champions Trophy tournament. He also set a new record for the fastest five centuries in ICC One-Day tournaments (World Cup & Champions Trophy), achieving the feat in just 13 innings.
Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran made 216 runs in three matches, including a memorable 177 against England—setting the record for the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history.
India’s Virat Kohli made the top order, scoring 218 runs in five matches at an average of 54.50. He played a match-winning unbeaten century against Pakistan in the group stage and followed it with an 84-run knock against Australia in the semi-finals.
In the middle order, India’s Shreyas Iyer is joined by his compatriot wicketkeeper-batsman Lokesh Rahul, New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips, and Afghanistan’s Omarzai.
Omarzai, who was named the best ODI player of 2024, scored 140 runs in three matches and took 7 wickets with the ball. His match-winning performance against England included a 41-run innings and a remarkable 5-wicket haul with the ball.
In the pace department, India’s Mohammed Shami is partnered with New Zealand’s Matt Henry, who, despite missing the final due to injury, took 10 wickets, making him the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. Shami claimed 9 wickets in five matches.
For spin, India’s Varun Chakravarthy took 9 wickets in just three matches and is joined by Santner. India’s left-arm spinning all-rounder Axar Patel completes the team as the 12th player.
Champions Trophy Best XI
Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand), Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan), Virat Kohli (India), Shreyas Iyer (India), Lokesh Rahul (India), Glenn Phillips (New Zealand), Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan), Mitchell Santner (New Zealand), Mohammed Shami (India), Matt Henry (New Zealand), Varun Chakravarthy (India), Axar Patel (India).
