Rashid Khan Slams Media Over Afghanistan's "Second-Best Asian Team" Tag

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan fumed at the media for giving his team the "second-best Asian side" tag. Over the past two years, Afghanistan has developed into one of the strongest sides in international cricket and has effectively shed the underdog label. With major victories over Pakistan and England in the ODI World Cup 2023 and a surprising win over Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan emerged as a strong force to reckon with. However, fans were left disappointed after the team's early exit in the recently concluded Asia Cup.

Afghanistan, placed in Group B, suffered defeats against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and failed to reach the Super Four stage. Speaking about the hype created by the media, Rashid stated that the team earned the tag due to consistent performances.

"There is one thing that always goes around in the media-people calling us the second-best Asian team. We didn't say that, but I think we earned that tag through our performances. If you look at the Asia Cup, the World Cup semifinal, the ODI World Cup-we have beaten big teams. In the Champions Trophy, we beat England. That's why we got the tag. In the future, if we don't perform well, we will definitely drop to number three, four, five, or six. I feel we haven't given ourselves that tag," said Rashid.

"We are always trying our best to become a better team and to perform well on the day. Sometimes you do well, sometimes you don't. That's part of the game. But your mindset should always be positive, with the hunger to perform. Sometimes people take things and twist them into something else, and then others start making fun of it. I feel like nowadays, the more you make fun of someone, the more people like you. And it's reaching a different level-and it doesn't look nice," he added.

In the Asia Cup 2025, Afghanistan won only one match, which was against Hong Kong. The continental tournament was won by India, who defeated Pakistan in the final held in Dubai on September 28.

Topics mentioned in this article

Afghanistan Rashid Khan Cricket