Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan expressed anger over the tag of being called the “second-best team in Asia,” which he blamed on the media rather than the team itself. Rashid firmly stated that the tag was given to Afghanistan despite their victories over major teams in important international tournaments, but that the team had never claimed or wanted this label. This statement followed Afghanistan’s early exit from the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025, where the team failed to progress beyond the group stage after defeats to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Although expectations were high for Afghanistan to reach the Super 4 stage, they significantly underperformed in the tournament.
“There is one thing which is always going around the media, people calling us the second-best Asian team,” Rashid said ahead of Afghanistan’s upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh. “We didn’t say that, but I think in the past, we performed, and that’s where we got the tag. If you look into Asia Cup, the World Cup semifinal, ODI World Cup, we have beaten big teams. Champions Trophy, we beat England. That’s why we got the tag. In the future, if we don’t perform well, we will definitely be number three, four, five, or six. I feel we haven’t given ourselves that tag,” he added.
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Rashid On Asia Cup 2025
Rashid defended his team’s efforts in the Asia Cup, stating that they always strive to be the better side on the day, but sometimes things don’t go as planned, which is part of the game. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and hunger to perform well.
“We are always trying our best to be a better team and to perform better on the day. Sometimes you do well, sometimes you don’t. That’s a part of the game. But your mindset should be positive in always having that hunger to perform well… They bring something to the table where people discuss it and make fun of it. And I feel like nowadays, the more you make fun of someone, the more people like you. And I feel like it’s going on a different level. And then it doesn’t look nice,” Rashid stated.
Looking ahead, Afghanistan will face Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series starting October 2, followed by a three-match ODI series commencing October 8. This strong stance from Rashid Khan highlights his frustration with the media narrative and his focus on future improvement and competitiveness for Afghanistan cricket
