“We didn’t say that” - Rashid Khan reacts to ‘second-best Asian team’ tag

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan has strongly responded to the ‘second-best Asian team’ tag, which was given to his side by the media ahead of the start of the Asia Cup 2025 campaign. Notably, Afghanistan got eliminated from the group stage in the eight-team showpiece event.

Moreover, his side suffered a four-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the first T20I of the three-match series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday, October 2, to start the series on a worrying note.

While they missed their semi-final spot in the ICC ODI World Cup in 2023 after suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Australia, they made it to the semi-final in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, only to suffer a defeat to the eventual runners-up South Africa.

“There is one thing that is always going around the media, people calling us the second-best Asian team. 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,” Rashid Khan said.

“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,” he added.

While Afghanistan started the Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a 94-run win over Hong Kong, they later suffered defeats to Bangladesh by eight runs and Sri Lanka by six wickets to bow out of the group stage.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at BetBarter and download the BetBarter app to start betting today!