Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan shared his thoughts after his team’s heartbreaking defeat to South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 11. Rashid admitted that despite hard work, the result did not go in his favor in the winning game.
Afghanistan almost sealed their first ICC win over South Africa, winning in a dramatic encounter that went into a double super over. The Proteas scored 17 runs in the first Super Over before equalising. In the second super over, South Africa scored 23 runs and Afghanistan missed by 3 runs.
We have made all efforts at the grassroots level – Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan said the players showed great spirit and pulled things back to restrict them to under 190. The captain also said that the team started well and gave everything on the field.
“[On the loss and reputation of being fighters] Yeah, I think you know the boys did an amazing job. Especially the way they started the batting, 100 runs in 10 overs, 1 wicket and restricting them to 190 was a huge effort from everyone,” Rashid said.
“Then the way we started the batting, I think it’s unfortunate to be part of a losing team. We have put in all the efforts on the field and the result is not going in our favour,” he said.
The discussion was with that team… – Rashid Khan
The captain said that the team remained calm about the required rate. He said Afghanistan was successful in keeping the total below 200, which gave them a real chance to chase the target. Khan admitted that he was unfortunate to face defeat.
“[On not letting the required rate get out of reach] Yes, we have played a lot on this surface in the IPL. The average total here is 190-195. The discussion with the team was that yes, they had a great start, but let’s finish well with the ball and keep them under 200. We gave ourselves the best chance to chase the target, but we were unfortunate to lose,” Khan added.
This is something that got Rehmanullah Gurbaz banned – Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan praised Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s performance at the top of the order. The Afghanistan captain said that losing three wickets in the powerplay made things difficult. Rashid also said that Gurbaz hit three sixes in the second Super Over, leaving 5 runs needed off the last ball.
“[On Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s knock] Amazing innings. This is what he is famous for. He likes to play his innings, he can be destructive at the top of the order. He has given us a great start. We lost three wickets in the powerplay which put them on the back foot. But this is something that has restricted even him. Hit three sixes and then needed 5 runs on the last ball, it was awesome.”
Also read: Dale Steyn becomes Afghanistan’s bowling coach during the match against South Africa in T20 World Cup 2026
