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Salman Agha Gives Suggestive Smirk After Afghanistan Gets Referred As Asia's No. 2

Rajgeeta Yadav

Salman Ali Agha's reaction [Source: @was_abdd/X.com]Salman Ali Agha's reaction [Source: @was_abdd/X.com]

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha couldn’t hide a smirk when Afghanistan was called Asia’s “second-best team” during a press conference on Thursday and the moment quickly went viral.

Pakistan are set to play Afghanistan and the UAE in a T20 tri-series starting Friday, August 29, at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The series is seen as preparation for the upcoming Asia Cup, beginning September 9.

Salman Agha Reacts To Afghanistan’s Rising Status With A Smirk

At the media briefing before the opener, all three captains, Agha (Pakistan), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), and Muhammad Waseem (UAE), were present. A reporter praised Afghanistan’s recent rise, pointing out their impressive T20 World Cup 2024 run where they reached the semi-finals, and called them Asia’s second-best team after India.

The question was directed at Rashid Khan, but Agha’s amused smirk at the remark caught attention. Fans on social media quickly picked up on it, seeing it as a dismissive reaction.

Rashid, however, responded calmly. He said Afghanistan isn’t chasing labels but is focused on playing fearless cricket:

"There is no specific target. We don't need to put extra pressure on ourself. For us, it's the right brand of cricket we have played over the last few years. That's something for us which is the target. We bring that energy, that performance, that efforts into the game. For us that's the main target. Getting there, beating teams that's a different matter but for us, it's about putting 200% on the ground, whether we bat, bowl or field."

Afghanistan has indeed made big strides in recent years, beating teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England at the 2023 ODI World Cup, and then reaching the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals after wins against New Zealand and Australia.

The tri-series kicks off Friday with Pakistan vs Afghanistan, followed by UAE vs Pakistan the next day.