Did AFG Justify Agha Salman's Quirky Smile On '2nd Best Team' Remark With Asia Cup Exit?

Agha Salman's reaction had gone viral [Source: AFP, @IamRashid675/X]

Afghanistan had a forgettable outing on Thursday, as they crashed out of the Asia Cup 2025. Led by Rashid Khan, Afghanistan failed to qualify for the Super Four round after losing to Sri Lanka in their final group-stage match. 

Agha Salman's Smile That Grabbed Attention

Afghanistan had a stunning T20 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean last year, making their first-ever entry into the semifinal. They defeated higher-ranked teams like Australia and Bangladesh, making their fans hopeful of a dream outing in the Asia Cup. 

In fact, just before the UAE T20I Tri-Series, one of the media persons addressed Afghanistan as the second best T20I side after India in the Asian continent. This induced an interesting reaction from Pakistan captain Agha Salman, who responded with a quirky smile that became an instant highlight on social media. 

Although the skipper didn't openly object to the claim of Afghanistan being a better T20 side than Pakistan at present, his gesture was a symbol of his nod of disapproval. Now, Afghanistan's elimination before Pakistan from the Asia Cup seems to have justified his stance. 

Contrasting Performances Of Afghanistan And Other Teams

(Asia Cup sides after AFG was called 2nd best T20I team in the continent)

After being labelled as the second best side in Asia, Afghanistan lost four out of eight matches across the Tri-Series and the Asia Cup. In the same time frame, Pakistan emerged victorious in six out of eight matches, including the UAE Tri-Series final against their Afghan counterparts. 

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have also registered a better winning percentage than Afghanistan, putting the second-best side's claim in serious doubt. Meanwhile, Hong Kong, Oman and the UAE claim the bottom three spots. 

Interestingly, Pakistan and Afghanistan faced each other in three matches in the same time frame, with Agha Salman's side winning two out of them. Thus, Pakistan had the edge in head-to-head face-offs besides recording a better overall record. 

Lack Of Skill, Luck Factor Or A Mixture Of Both?

• While most cricket fans might attribute Afghanistan's Asia Cup exit to their lack of skill or stepping up on big occasions, we reckon they were also the victims of poor luck in the tournament. Naveen-ul-Haq, who bagged 13 wickets in eight outings in the 2024 T20 World Cup, was sidelined from the Asia Cup, weakening Afghanistan's pace attack. 
• Additionally, they were placed alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Group-B, the group of death, with the organisers keeping India and Pakistan in the same group to ensure maximum viewership through their multiple face-offs. It's true that Afghanistan managed to defeat Pakistan once in three attempts during the aforementioned timeline. So, the game could've gone either way had Afghanistan actually faced Pakistan in the Asia Cup. 

Conclusion

Considering Afghanistan's team combination on paper, a group-stage elimination was not expected before the tournament began. However, considering they lost one of their premier bowlers, played against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, where their spinners didn't get significant assistance, luck definitely played a part in their exit. Whatever the case may be, given that the Afghans failed to dominate their Asian counterparts, the claim that they are the second-best team on the continent lacks conclusive evidence and is hence dismissed. 

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