Rashid Khan and Salman Ali Agha (Source: AFP)
Rashid Khan's Afghanistan could not live upto their billing in the Asia Cup 2025 and were eliminated in the group stage of the tournament. It has put their tag of the second-best team in Asia under doubt, which was quite frequently used before the Asia Cup.
Rashid Khan highlights Afghanistan's achievements in ICC tournaments
Now, they are getting ready for the new assignment against Bangladesh, and ahead of the first T20I, Rashid Khan opened up on the 2nd best team in Asia tag during his pre-match press conference. The star spinner stated that no one from their team said that they are the second-best team on the continent.
He added that it was the media who made up the tag after they performed well in the last few ICC tournaments, like the World Cup 2023, T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025. He mentioned that they have beaten big teams in the recent past, and that is why they have got the tag.
"We didn't say we are the 2nd best team. The media says, we performed in the CWC, CT25 and WT20. We beat the big Teams. That's why this tag is on," Rashid Khan said in pre-match press conference.
Asian teams aim improvement ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
Thus, Rashid Khan has made it clear that they have got the tag of the second-best team in Asia after their good performance on the big stage. Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who have traditionally been heavyweights in Asia, have not done well in ICC tournaments in the recent past and have seen a steep decline in their fortunes.
In the Asia Cup, though, Pakistan managed to qualify for the final, and they would now be looking to get back to their best. Sri Lanka too played good cricket in the group stage and are building towards the World Cup 2026. Afghanistan, on the other hand, would be looking to put the disappointment of the Asia Cup behind them and challenge Bangladesh, who are without their regular skipper, Litton Das.
