'We have beaten big teams...': Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan furious with 'second-best team in Asia' tag

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan blamed the media for giving his side the tag of the 'second-best team in Asia'. He firmly stated that the team was given the tag after they had defeated multiple big teams in major international tournaments, however they themselves never askked for it.

This statement comes after the recently-concluded Asia Cup where Afghanistan failed to make it out of the group stage due to defeats handed to them by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Though it was expected that the team would atleast make it to the Super 4 stage, however they ended up underperforming massively in the tournament.

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“There is one thing which is always going around the media, people calling us the second-best Asian team," Rashid said ahead of the side's first T20I against Bangladesh.

"We didn’t say that, but I think in the past, we performed, and that’s where we got the tag. If you look into Asia Cup, the World Cup semifinal, ODI World Cup, we have beaten big teams. Champions Trophy, we beat England. That’s why we got the tag. In the future, if we don’t perform well, we will definitely be number three, four, five, or six. I feel we haven’t given ourselves that tag," he added.

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Rashid defended his team's performance in the Asia Cup, stating that they try their best to be the better side on the day, however sometimes they don't end up doing that well on the field. He added that all this is a part of the game and the team should remain positive for their upcoming matches.

“We are always trying our best to be a better team and to perform better on the day. Sometimes you do well, sometimes you don’t. That’s a part of the game. But your mindset should be positive in always having that hunger to perform well… They bring something to the table where people discuss it and make fun of it. And I feel like nowadays, the more you make fun of someone, the more people like you. And I feel like it’s going on a different level. And then it doesn’t look nice," Rashid stated.

Who will Afghanistan be ffacing next?

Meanwhile, Afghanistan will be taking on Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series that is set to commence from October 2. They will then be taking on the Tigers for a three-match ODI assignment as well and that will begin from October 8.