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During a press conference ahead of the tri-nation series in the UAE, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha‘s reaction went viral after a reporter made a bold statement about Afghanistan. The all-rounder was seen giving a dismissive smirk as the journalist addressed Afghanistan as the ‘second-best Asian team’ in front of their captain, Rashid Khan.
The reporter’s provocative statement and Pakistan’s ODI skipper Salman Ali Agha dismissive smirk
The incident unfolded as reporter Shahid Hashmi directed a pointed question at Afghanistan captain Rashid, setting the stage for the viral moment. Hashmi’s query was framed within the context of Pakistan’s recent and significant struggles in T20 competitions, which have been ‘subpar to say the least.’
Pakistan’s uncompetitive performances against top teams and their loss to a side considered historically a tier below, such as the USA in the T20 World Cup 2024. This context led Hashmi, as clarified by himself on X, to make a bold assessment, implying that Afghanistan’s ascent was so rapid that they now occupied a higher standing in Asian cricket. A video of the conference shows Salman Agha with an ‘extremely bemused’ expression, accompanied by a ‘slight smile,’ as the reporter completed his question to Rashid: “Your team did very well in the T20 World Cup. You became Asia’s second-best team. So what are the targets for the tri-series and then the Asia Cup?”
Salman Ali Agha made a face and smirked when a reporter called the Afghanistan team the second-best team in Asia pic.twitter.com/vZzfYTUS2b
— Thakur (@hassam_sajjad) August 28, 2025
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Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan’s response on Asia’s second-best team remark
Following the reporter’s comment, it was Afghanistan captain Rashid who offered a composed response that focused on his team’s mindset rather than directly engaging with the comparison. He spoke about avoiding external pressure and concentrating on their own process and performance. Khan’s response was a clear message that the team was committed to its own brand of cricket.
“There is no specific target. We don’t need to put extra pressure on ourself. For us, it’s the right brand of cricket we have played over the last few years. That’s something for us which is the target. We bring that energy, that performance, that efforts into the game. For us that’s the main target. Getting there, beating teams that’s a different matter but for us, it’s about putting 200% on the ground, whether we bat, bowl or field,” Rashid said.
It was later revealed that the reporter, Hashmi, took to social media to clarify his statement, explaining that his intention was not to declare Afghanistan as a better team than Pakistan in a general sense, but merely to highlight their performance in the T20 World Cup, where they were the second-best performing Asian side behind champions India.
Journalist, and that’s me, said: Afghanistan finished as the second best Asian team in T20 World Cup 2024 … https://t.co/XDZcP6DQvg
— Shahid Hashmi (@hashmi_shahid) August 28, 2025
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