Rashid Khan Upset Over “Asia’s Second-Best Team” Tag After Afghanistan’s Asia Cup Exit

Afghanistan :Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has expressed displeasure over the team being mocked as “Asia’s second-best side” following their early exit from the Asia Cup.

Afghanistan, considered strong contenders after India, failed to progress beyond the group stage. Despite recent impressive performances in major tournaments, including victories against top teams in the World Cup and Champions Trophy, Rashid’s side fell short with a narrow loss to Bangladesh and a heavy defeat to Sri Lanka.

Speaking to the media, Rashid Khan said: *“There’s been constant talk in the media that we are Asia’s second-best team. We never claimed that ourselves, but in recent years we performed very well—beating big teams in the Asia Cup, the World Cup semifinal, and even England in the Champions Trophy. That’s why people gave us this tag.”*

He added: *“If in the future we don’t perform, we’ll be considered third, fourth, or even fifth. But we never labeled ourselves as No. 2 in Asia. Sometimes you play well, sometimes you don’t—that’s part of the game. But mocking us for this doesn’t feel right. These days, the more you make fun of someone, the more people seem to like it, but it’s not a good trend.”*

Rashid admitted Afghanistan’s preparation for the Asia Cup was not ideal, as they had played few T20 matches beforehand. He acknowledged that the bowling attack struggled to adapt to conditions while the batting lineup failed to meet expectations.

Looking ahead, Rashid confirmed that the team’s focus is now fully on preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup.