Rashid Khan reveals reason behind defeat against Bangladesh

ABU DHABI: Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan labelled his dismissal as the decisive point in their eight-run defeat against Bangladesh in the ninth match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Bangladesh, after opting to bat first, registered a formidable total of 154/5 on the board, courtesy of Tanzid Hasan’s brisk half-century up the order.

He was supported by fellow opener Saif Hassan and middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy, who made 30 and 26, respectively.

For Afghanistan, Rashid and fellow spinner Noor Ahmad took two wickets each, while Azmatullah Omarzai made one strike.

In response, Afghanistan could accumulate 146 before being bowled out on the final delivery of the innings and thus suffered their first defeat in the Asia Cup 2025.

The high-stakes Group B fixture, however, was not all but evenly poised until the first delivery of the penultimate over as Afghanistan needed 23 runs from the remaining 11 deliveries with Rashid unbeaten on 20 off just 10 balls.

The star all-rounder, however, handed a straightforward catch to Taskin Ahmed at short third man off Mustafizur Rahman, which worsened the required equation to 23 required off 10 deliveries with just two wickets in hand.

Although number nine batter Noor Ahmad offered resistance afterwards with a nine-ball 14, it was insufficient to pull off the victory for Afghanistan.

Reflecting on the match at the post-match presentation, Rashid said his untimely dismissal cost them the match and acknowledged that the Afghan batters played ‘irresponsible shots’ in the run chase.

The all-rounder, however, lauded his team’s bowling unit for restricting Bangladesh under 160 despite a flying start.

“We were in the game until the end. Until I got out, we were there, but we just couldn’t finish it up. I think 30 runs in 15 balls nowadays is very achievable, but at that time, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and couldn’t execute our shots well,” said Rashid.

“Definitely, the way we came back with the bowling was a huge job done. To restrict them to under 160s, after they had 90 in the first 10 overs, was a huge job. I think it was a 160-170-run wicket, but we played some irresponsible shots where it wasn’t needed,” he added.

Afghanistan next face defending champions Sri Lanka in the must-win clash on Thursday to qualify for the Super Four, and Rashid advised his team to learn from their mistakes and be mentally strong for the ‘challenge’.

“It is a crucial time, especially in the Asia Cup, where you have very few games, and each game is quite important for us. The next game is a big one against Sri Lanka. We need to be well-prepared. We need to learn from our mistakes and be strong mentally, and that’s going to be a challenge for all of us,” he concluded.