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[VIDEO] Salman Ali Agha's reaction as Afghanistan is labelled "second best team in Asia"

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Salman Ali Agha's reaction as Afghanistan is labelled "second best team in Asia"

Given how Pakistan have fared in recent times, there is a school of thought that they are no longer contenders to lift the Asia Cup.

The Pakistan cricket team has gone through a major overhaul over the last few months, with T20I captain Salman Ali Agha overseeing the period of transition ahead of the Asia Cup. Former captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are no longer part of the T20I setup, with the management keen on backing a young group with Agha at the helm. Given how Pakistan have fared in recent times, there is a school of thought that they are no longer contenders to lift the Asia Cup.

However, Agha and his men will have a chance to change that as they take on Afghanistan and the UAE in a tri-series, starting on Friday. Afghanistan arrives as the form team, riding high on their historic T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal appearance, where they stunned Australia and New Zealand.

A Pakistani journalist, while raising a query during a press conference on Thursday, highlighted how Afghanistan was the second-best team in the T20 World Cup, behind champions India. While the question was intended for Rashid Khan, it certainly irked Agha, who was seen smirking in response to the remark. A video of the same has gone viral on social media.

This tri-series represents crucial preparation opportunities for all three participants, who will benefit enormously from acclimatizing to the UAE conditions ahead of the Asia Cup (September 9-28). The timing couldn't be more strategic, as Pakistan and Afghanistan find themselves grouped differently in the main tournament-Pakistan in Group A alongside India, Oman, and UAE, while Afghanistan features in Group B with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong.

Pakistan enters the event with renewed leadership under captain Salman Ali Agha, notably without senior stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The Green Shirts will rely on explosive opener Fakhar Zaman, who, despite recent injury concerns, brings 1,949 T20I runs at a strike rate of 131.77.

Left-arm pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi and express bowler Haris Rauf anchor an attack seeking redemption after underwhelming performances in seven recent T20I series, winning just three.

In the opening match of the series, Afghanistan will take on Pakistan on Friday before the host UAE takes on the latter on the following day.


 
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Honestly there is no clear 2nd best team from Asia after india.

Afghanistan, Pakistan ,Lanka or even Bangladesh more or less equals .

But afganistan beating any top sides in limited overs cricket should not count as an Upset anymore.

:kp
 
As i said they lacked matches as a unit. That is why their progress is somewhat slow. Another thing is Afghanistan communication and thinking process is already ahead of Pakistan players. Their English is also decent. Probaby coach like Trott is able to communicate better without too much loss of information. They are able to express their thinking as good as possible. They just need more matches.
 
Afghanistan needs to play well in PP. They are not using the PP during the batting. :kp
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Indian T20 team is actually far better now with Rohit and Virat gone
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No doubt, India is always a better team than Pakistan because their system is mostly corruption free and they know how to find and develop good players. Seven out of ten times, India will beat us. But cricket is also a mental game. With experienced players and those who have already beaten India in a T20 World Cup, our team will believe they have a chance. That’s why I said we have a real chance, and no, I don’t think they are better without Rohit and Virat in a high pressure game.
 
Devadwal said:
Honestly there is no clear 2nd best team from Asia after india.

Afghanistan, Pakistan ,Lanka or even Bangladesh more or less equals .

But afganistan beating any top sides in limited overs cricket should not count as an Upset anymore.

:kp
Click to expand...
BD outside BD is no threat. Blasphemy to suggest outside Mirpur they are at par with Pakistan or SL:moyo
 
Devadwal said:
Honestly there is no clear 2nd best team from Asia after india.

Afghanistan, Pakistan ,Lanka or even Bangladesh more or less equals .

But afganistan beating any top sides in limited overs cricket should not count as an Upset anymore.

:kp
Click to expand...
Nah, Bangla is nothing and clearly the weakest outside their home doctored pitches.
 
Devadwal said:
Honestly there is no clear 2nd best team from Asia after india.

Afghanistan, Pakistan ,Lanka or even Bangladesh more or less equals .

But afganistan beating any top sides in limited overs cricket should not count as an Upset anymore.

:kp
Click to expand...
Anyone saying Afghanistan winning is an upset was maybe living under a rock the past year or so. They didn’t make the semi-finals in last year’s WC by a fluke, they beat New Zealand and Australia comprehensively and made it.

The semi-final was one sided because of the conditions, otherwise they had the capability to make a match of it.

The spin attack is easily the best in the world, they drop games due to their batting and pace bowlers which are still below average.
 
nish_mate said:
BD outside BD is no threat. Blasphemy to suggest outside Mirpur they are at par with Pakistan or SL:moyo
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BD have beaten SL in 2023 WC and also in 2024 World T20. BD made it to CT 2025 and SL didn't.
 
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2nd position in Asia isn't straightforward.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, BD, and SL - they all can beat each other. So, #2 isn't fixed.

I think either Afghanistan or Pakistan is #2 currently.
 
Mamoon said:
Pakistan with in-form Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen are easily #2 in Asia.
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Yeah babar getting bowled against retired saeed azmal what a talented T20 player. Even yugand wont keep him in t20 setup🤣🤣🤣
 
It's neck and neck. Even if Pakistan get their neck in front, it isn't really an achievement.
 
Afghanistan has won against pakistan in their last ecounter in both ODI and T20 format. In T20 anyone can win. But it will be curious how they will compete in a ODI game against each other. Afghanistan batsmen are temperamentally more suited for ODIs.
 
Why are Pakistan and Afghanistan being considered when SL are ranked higher than both teams in all 3 formats currently ?

And lol at the likes of sweep shot sneaking Bangladesh into the mix. A team ranked 10th in both white ball formats shouldn't even be in the discussion
 
Hellion said:
Why are Pakistan and Afghanistan being considered when SL are ranked higher than both teams in all 3 formats currently ?

And lol at the likes of sweep shot sneaking Bangladesh into the mix. A team ranked 10th in both white ball formats shouldn't even be in the discussion
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Bangladesh have a high chance of playing WCQ while Sri Lanka is no.4 in ODIs
 
On spinning wickets they have advantage over pakistan otherwise I think pakistan is capable of defeating Afghanistan comfortably Sri Lanka is probably the second best team in Asia
 
Hellion said:
Why are Pakistan and Afghanistan being considered when SL are ranked higher than both teams in all 3 formats currently ?

And lol at the likes of sweep shot sneaking Bangladesh into the mix. A team ranked 10th in both white ball formats shouldn't even be in the discussion
Click to expand...
So we are now taking rankings seriously? What about the ranking of Babar being no 1 in odi in 2019 and Root ranked no 7 😖.

SENA and India is > Pakistan 100%. Sri Lanka isn't.

Pakistan have beaten them black and blue in all formats (Test, odi, t20) over the years. Sri Lanka managed to one up Pakistan once dueing asia cup 2023 with extreme difficulty and by the thinnest of margins.

Despite Pakistan being a joke in wtc they butchered Sri Lanka in their own den, have smacked them in odi and t20 multiple times from 2018 to 2025 with 2023 asia cup being the only exception.

I understand that you despise Pakistan but come on, you can do better than that.
 
mominsaigol said:
So we are now taking rankings seriously? What about the ranking of Babar being no 1 in odi in 2019 and Root ranked no 7 😖.

SENA and India is > Pakistan 100%. Sri Lanka isn't.

Pakistan have beaten them black and blue in all formats (Test, odi, t20) over the years. Sri Lanka managed to one up Pakistan once dueing asia cup 2023 with extreme difficulty and by the thinnest of margins.

Despite Pakistan being a joke in wtc they butchered Sri Lanka in their own den, have smacked them in odi and t20 multiple times from 2018 to 2025 with 2023 asia cup being the only exception.

I understand that you despise Pakistan but come on, you can do better than that.
Click to expand...
Team rankings in white ball cricket are accurate. SL also won a Test in England last year which none of Pakistan , Afghanistan or Bangladesh are capable of doing currently.

I agree that individual rankings are not accurate at all.
 
zahid01 said:
On spinning wickets they have advantage over pakistan otherwise I think pakistan is capable of defeating Afghanistan comfortably Sri Lanka is probably the second best team in Asia
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How is SL second best? They couldn't even make it to CT 2025. They also lost to BD and Afghanistan in 2023 WC. They again lost to BD in 2024 World T20.

Afghanistan or Pakistan is #2 in Asia. Probably Afghanistan.
 
Again a poster mixing up his T20s and ODIs- but then ones home team are perpetually pathetic they cling on to any straw to show their team in a better light.... shame
:shakib
 
Hellion said:
Team rankings in white ball cricket are accurate. SL also won a Test in England last year which none of Pakistan , Afghanistan or Bangladesh are capable of doing currently.

I agree that individual rankings are not accurate at all.
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Team rankings aren't accurate. Pakistan was no 1 odi ranked team in 2023. Literally no one believed they were actually ranked that high. Everyone sane including me back then predicted a disaster of a world cup and asia cup. Check my comments from back then to confirm.

Pakistan achieved no 1 rank by

A) Beating C team NZ 4-1
B) Going on a series win streak vs C team Aus, C team SA and many others.

This was due to Covid era initially and then due to IPL timing clash when the series were scheduled.

The only accurate ranking is maybe Test, however even it is somewhat flawed, as South Africa somewhat cheated their way to the no 2 spot.

Granted SA won the wtc so fair bet.

Sri Lanka may have beaten England but Cricket is not A > B > C. Sides lose.

NZ beat india at home 3-0, Same NZ lost to England at home, and same england could only draw vs India at their home.

India didnt shift much, they replaced Kohli for sai and Rohit for karun and both replacements achieved an equally bad output. Washington also achieved an equal output to R ashwin.

Hence sides didnt shift much.
 
Hellion said:
Team rankings in white ball cricket are accurate. SL also won a Test in England last year which none of Pakistan , Afghanistan or Bangladesh are capable of doing currently.

I agree that individual rankings are not accurate at all.
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Srilanka is good on weary tracks where batting second is impossible and they win the toss and bat first.
 
Usman Chadda said:
Anyone saying Afghanistan winning is an upset was maybe living under a rock the past year or so. They didn’t make the semi-finals in last year’s WC by a fluke, they beat New Zealand and Australia comprehensively and made it.

The semi-final was one sided because of the conditions, otherwise they had the capability to make a match of it.

The spin attack is easily the best in the world, they drop games due to their batting and pace bowlers which are still below average.
Click to expand...

Agree.

These Indians probably only watch IPL and Indian cricket. They are out of touch with other international teams.

Afghanistan is now a great T20 team and can beat anybody. It is no longer an upset.
 
mominsaigol said:
Team rankings aren't accurate. Pakistan was no 1 odi ranked team in 2023. Literally no one believed they were actually ranked that high. Everyone sane including me back then predicted a disaster of a world cup and asia cup. Check my comments from back then to confirm.

Pakistan achieved no 1 rank by

A) Beating C team NZ 4-1
B) Going on a series win streak vs C team Aus, C team SA and many others.

This was due to Covid era initially and then due to IPL timing clash when the series were scheduled.

The only accurate ranking is maybe Test, however even it is somewhat flawed, as South Africa somewhat cheated their way to the no 2 spot.

Granted SA won the wtc so fair bet.

Sri Lanka may have beaten England but Cricket is not A > B > C. Sides lose.

NZ beat india at home 3-0, Same NZ lost to England at home, and same england could only draw vs India at their home.

India didnt shift much, they replaced Kohli for sai and Rohit for karun and both replacements achieved an equally bad output. Washington also achieved an equal output to R ashwin.

Hence sides didnt shift much.
Click to expand...

SL have not lost Test matches at home to West Indies like Pakistan did. They didn't get whitewashed at home by Bangladesh

In fact , they whitewashed BD in BD and beat them 1-0 at home as well.

So, even you forget about the rankings, they have been a better Test side than PAK and BD based on recent results alone.
 
Hellion said:
SL have not lost Test matches at home to West Indies like Pakistan did. They didn't get whitewashed at home by Bangladesh

In fact , they whitewashed BD in BD and beat them 1-0 at home as well.

So, even you forget about the rankings, they have been a better Test side than PAK and BD based on recent results alone.
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Bhai Pakistan in that wtc mauled Sri Lanka at their own den lol.

The issue with Pakistan at home is that the pitches they have been curating just dont suit them. One is a phatta and the other is toss dependant with wi getting lucky with the toss in the 2nd test.

Head to Head Pakistan has been a superior side to Sri Lanka in all formats.

When it comes to Head to head, From 2020 to 2025 India has been the most dominant.

Afterwards Pakistan has as they have consistently defeated Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh managed to one up Pakistan on 2 occasions, one was their home series and the other a test series, beyond that Pakistan has dominated them in every series and encounter.

Afghanistan managed to one up Pakistan in wc 2023, beat a C string Pakistan 2-1 in a t20 series and beat them once in the tri series, while Pakistan still has more dubs on them and have beaten them at every other turn.

Similarly Sri Lanka managed to one up Pakistan once in asia cup. Otherwise at every other corner and format Pakistan has mauled Sri Lanka.

Surprisingly Pakistan has struggled less against Sri Lanka then they have vs Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Pakistan would still beat Sri Lanka 7 put of 10 times in a head to head even if Sri Lanka has a better test track record.

Pakistan in bi laterals have consistently defeated every B string side and these B strings weren't completly weak.

Aus b string had their pace trio and were only missing Travis Head and Mitch Marsh. NZ c string has darly Mitchell, Will Young, Tom Latham and most of their bowlers only missing rachin, Williamson, Satner.

Sa at home were at full strength and got whitewashed.

In odi and t20's Pakistan has only had a bad track record vs NZ full strength in bi laterals and horrible records in tournaments where they have brain fades.

Interestingly enough, Excluding CT, Pakistan has managed to one up full strength NZ in both t20 and odi more times then any other team excluding india and Australia.

Test is the only format where Sri Lanka has done better vs foreign teams however head to head they've been beaten black and blue vs Pakistan.
 
You can label anyone anything you want... Means nothing... Reality is what the world knows... Performance on the field matters the most.
 
A painful realisation for that Pakistani player. He seemed to agree after a few seconds of processing the information.
 
Salman Ali Agha in the post match press conference after Tri Series win:

Question: My question is that before the start of this Tri-Series, you were asked in a press conference and the question was put to you in front of Rashid Khan that Afghanistan was called the second-best team. Has your answer been proven right with this trophy win?

Salman: I think these "first team" and "second team" ratings are just people's opinions. How can you rate a team as good or bad, or first or second? I don't think much about this. You have to play well on the day. If you don't play well on the day, it doesn't matter if you are the second team or the first team. It doesn't matter. I think these are just people's opinions. Or the ICC rankings. But we don't look at this. We feel that we are the best team in the world. We have to think like that, and we try to play the game like that. So, we have nothing to do with being first or second.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
Salman Ali Agha in the post match press conference after Tri Series win:

Question: My question is that before the start of this Tri-Series, you were asked in a press conference and the question was put to you in front of Rashid Khan that Afghanistan was called the second-best team. Has your answer been proven right with this trophy win?

Salman: I think these "first team" and "second team" ratings are just people's opinions. How can you rate a team as good or bad, or first or second? I don't think much about this. You have to play well on the day. If you don't play well on the day, it doesn't matter if you are the second team or the first team. It doesn't matter. I think these are just people's opinions. Or the ICC rankings. But we don't look at this. We feel that we are the best team in the world. We have to think like that, and we try to play the game like that. So, we have nothing to do with being first or second.
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sensible answer. Having yourself called as second best was never a compliment. Only Afghans thought of it like that

If you aspire to be second best , Stop playing cricket
 
Asia’s number 2 team (Afghanistan apparently) has rubbish pacers, rubbish fielders and mediocre batsmen. They’ve got a couple of good spinners though


How does that work?
 
jnaveen1980 said:
H2H 5-4 in favor of Pakistan against Afghanistan. Post 2023 In the last 6 games. Afghanistan 4 Pakistan 2.
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Two of those matches Pakistan was experimenting and playing their second string team.

One match was from the Asian Games where it was an even worse Pakistan team that was playing the tournament.
 
Afghanistan are a dangerous side that can beat any team on their day. But by the same token, they can also capitulate spectacularly like yesterday or the 2024 World T20 semifinal, if you put them under enough pressure.

They also still lack professionalism, T20 batters and pacers who can close out the innings at the death.
 
Salman Butt lambasted on analysts calling Afghanistan, the second best team in Asia in a recent conversation:

"It's a nonsense argument. This is just media creating noise for views. If you want to debate, then talk about cricketing decisions: who bowled when, who played the wrong shot. But to label a team as second best? That's not how professionals should think,"
 
Rana said:
Asia’s number 2 team (Afghanistan apparently) has rubbish pacers, rubbish fielders and mediocre batsmen. They’ve got a couple of good spinners though


How does that work?
Click to expand...
Asia's number 2 team (Pakistan apparently) has rubbish Pacers , Rubbish fielders , tullebaaz batsman and gully cricket level wicketkeeper.

We will see who will Play final against India in Asia cup.

:klopp :kp
 
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sweep_shot said:
Agree.

These Indians probably only watch IPL and Indian cricket. They are out of touch with other international teams.

Afghanistan is now a great T20 team and can beat anybody. It is no longer an upset.
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Indians know cricket better than who call a #9 ranked T20 team "great".
 
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That's the kind of pride Pakistani players need to be able to push themselves. That's what made them push beyond their skills and limits in the past.

It seemed to have been missing in recent times from the team when they just meekly surrendered. Maybe Agha can light a fire under the entire team.
 
Sachin fan said:
That's the kind of pride Pakistani players need to be able to push themselves. That's what made them push beyond their skills and limits in the past.

It seemed to have been missing in recent times from the team when they just meekly surrendered. Maybe Agha can light a fire under the entire team.
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Absolutely. Even as a rival , I want us to play and compete against a tough Pakistani side rather than :ba and :riz .
 
Sachin fan said:
That's the kind of pride Pakistani players need to be able to push themselves. That's what made them push beyond their skills and limits in the past.

It seemed to have been missing in recent times from the team when they just meekly surrendered. Maybe Agha can light a fire under the entire team.
Click to expand...
He is quite good and positive in communication .irrespective of rankings, if pak can become tough atleast in sub continent,its good achievement by him.i dont expect current pak batsmen to thrive outside subcontinent continent with their technique.
 
If you have good body language, you automatically set the tone for your team. Salman Ali Agha looked pretty confident yesterday and is improving his leadership abilities with time.
 
Body language can only take you so far, although it's a good start but Kohli's absence would have automatically made a difference in that case.

The gap in skill level is astronomical though, so only positive body language is not going to bridge that gap I'm afraid.
 
Now you know why Salman Agha reacted that way after hearing Afghanistan being called the second best team in Asia lol
 
Cricket Warrior said:
I dont call even Pakistan the second best team of Asia... Srilanka is actually on the 2nd position.
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07 - Srilanka
08 - Pakistan
09 - Bangladesh
10 - Afghanistan

That is a fair indication. Having said all these teams can beat each other on a given day depending on the toss.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
I dont call even Pakistan the second best team of Asia... Srilanka is actually on the 2nd position.
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We will find out soon enough who gets the wooden spoon of being second to India when these teams meet in the Super 4s and fight for a chance to be runners-up
 
Lets see if the 2nd best team gets knocked out by Sri Lanka
 
lol this thread didnt last that long.

Now either India or Pakistan will come out as the second best team in Asia this Sunday
 
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