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SHARJAH: Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has shared his thoughts regarding the ‘second-best in Asia’ tag, stating that his team’s goal is to improve their performances.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Rashid said that they have not called them the second-best side.
“There’s always talk about us being the second-best team in Asia, but that’s not something we claimed ourselves,” he said.
The spin wizard highlighted Afghanistan’s past performances and stressed the need for improvement in their performance.
“That label came because of our past performances. If you look back — Asia Cup, World Cup semi-finals, ODI World Cup — we’ve beaten some top sides. Even in the Champions Trophy, we defeated England. Of course, in the future, if we don’t play well, we could slip to third, fourth, fifth, or lower,” he continued.
“Our goal is simply to improve as a team and deliver on the day. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t — that’s cricket. What matters is staying hungry to perform and aiming to get better every time. The whole ‘second-best in Asia’ narrative is just something the media has created, not us,” Rashid concluded.
For context, Afghanistan is currently playing a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Notably, after being eliminated from the Asia Cup 2025 group stage, they started their series against the Tigers on a poor note as well.
Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by four wickets in the T20I opener at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
After opting to bat first, Afghanistan could only muster 151 for 9 in their 20 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz top-scored with 40 from 31 balls, studded with three sixes and two fours.
In reply, Bangladesh hit the winning runs in 18.4 overs, courtesy of a strong opening foundation. Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan starred with the bat, both scoring half-centuries.
Despite the defeat, Rashid Khan remained the standout bowler for Afghanistan, picking up a four-wicket haul in his quota of four overs.
The second T20I between the two teams is currently underway at the same venue, with Bangladesh eyeing a series win after opting to bowl first.
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