New Delhi, February 15. Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan is still reeling from the heartbreaking super over defeat against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage. That loss, in a match they had firmly in their grasp, refuses to fade from his memory.
Speaking to the media ahead of Monday’s clash with UAE at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Rashid opened up about the mental toll. ‘Honestly, it’s very tough. A loss like that in the super over against South Africa is hard to shake off. The game was in our hands, yet we couldn’t seal the win,’ he admitted candidly.
He drew parallels to another unforgettable defeat. ‘The 2023 World Cup match against Australia at Wankhede never left my mind until we beat them in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Only then did it slowly start to fade,’ Rashid reflected, highlighting how victories can heal old wounds.
The sting is deeper given the hard work invested. ‘It’s frustrating. We’ve toiled for the last year and a half with a specific mindset. That effort matters not just for upcoming games but our entire cricketing future,’ he emphasized.
After losses to New Zealand and South Africa, Afghanistan teeters on the brink of elimination. Rashid pointed to a lack of regular exposure. ‘We don’t play big teams like South Africa and New Zealand often, so we’re less prepared for pressure cookers. If we faced them more in T20s, we’d know their strengths and our improvements.’
He elaborated on the tournament’s unforgiving nature. ‘Play two matches against them in four days, and your World Cup ends just like that. We lost both and were out. The pressure demands mental and physical readiness; one small mistake, and you’re gone.’
Regular series would reveal patterns, Rashid noted. ‘If we’d played them before, we’d anticipate shifts, like New Zealand’s aggressive approach after early wickets.’
Despite the setbacks, optimism lingers. ‘Not much went wrong. We played good cricket but were unlucky. That super over shows our effort—we were that close.’
Afghanistan faces UAE on the 16th and Canada on the 19th, battles that could define their campaign.