Afghanistan National Cricket Team captain Rashid Khan opened fire on critics as his team was labeled after his disappointing Asia Cup 2025 campaign in UAE after “Second Best Asian Team”. Rashid Khan clarified that this tag came from the media and not only the team.
Spin Wizard has also expressed disappointment on how people made fun of Afghanistan National Cricket Team, as they failed to reach the super-four phases of recently concluded Asia Cup 2025. India won the Asia Cup 2025 finals in Dubai after bringing Pakistan to Pakistan on 28 September.
Rashid Khan defends Afghanistan’s Asia Cup 2025 performance
Despite being considered one of the favorite to raise the trophy after concrete performance in previous multi-nation events, Afghanistan failed to make it in the Super four rounds after Bangladesh faced a narrow loss and a huge defeat to Sri Lanka.
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Rashid said that inconsistent preparation and T20I further affected the team’s rhythm from the Asia Cup 2025. The skipper also mentioned how his bowling attack struggled in favorable conditions, and batting often decreased in the continental tournament.
Rashid Khan was told by News18 before the Bangladesh series, “There is one thing that is always going on around the media: people call us the second best Asian team. We did not say that, but I think in the past, in the past, we performed, and that is where we found the tag.
If you see in the Asia Cup, World Cup semi -finals and ODIs, we have defeated big teams. Champions Trophy, we defeat England. So we got the tag. In the future, if we do not perform well, we will definitely have number three, four, five or six. I think we have not given ourselves that tag. ,
He insisted that Afghan players are always trying their best to become a better team and perform better on the day, but sometimes things do not go in the way they will expect, and it is a part of the game.
Rashid further said, “I think nowadays, the more you make fun of someone, more people like you. And I think it is running on a different level. And then it does not feel good.”
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Rashid Khan focuses on the construction of a strong Afghanistan team for T20 World Cup 2026
The Afghan spinner has also stressed that the team’s focus is firm on the future. He insisted that every match is an opportunity to learn, and they are now committed to building a balanced and competitive team before the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
The captain has emphasized that Afghanistan will continue to play with hunger and a positive mentality, which aims to perform continuously and prove its merit on a big stage.
Rashid signed, saying, “I think every game is very competitive. It’s not that we have not played competitive cricket in the Asia Cup. For us, every game is competitive. We are not here to have fun, enjoy, enjoy, and then go back. We have a goal, and the goal is how we are an ideal and balanced side for the next World Cup.”
In particular, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are set to play a three -match T20I series in UAE. The first match has been scheduled on Thursday, 2 October at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.
