Second-best Asian team: Mohammad Hafeez snatches Pakistan's crown and hands it to Afghanistan after T20 WC success

Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez lauded the Afghanistan National Cricket Team for their sensational campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. He took a dig at the Babar Azam-led side while calling the Rashid Khan-led side the second-best Asian team.

Afghanistan National Cricket Team's campaign ended in the T20 World Cup 2024 after their disappointing loss against South Africa in the semi-final. The match between the two teams took place at the Brian Lara Stadium at Tarouba on Thursday (27th June).

The loss in the match against South Africa meant curtains for Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup as the Proteas team booked their berth in the final. But it was a campaign to be proud of for the Rashid Khan-led side as they were sensational with the bat and ball throughout the tournament in every stage.

Afghanistan were dominant in the league stage as they lost just one game there. They thumped New Zealand and knocked them out of the tournament to advance into the Super 8 stage of the tournament, where they came up with even better performances with bat and ball.

In the Super 8 stage, Afghanistan lost the game against India but after that didn't look back. They defeated mighty Australia by 20 runs before winning the game against Bangladesh to seal the spot in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024.

It was a collective effort from each individual to take the team forward. Rahmanullah Gurbaz made a massive contribution with bat and ended the tournament as the leading run-getter with 281 runs to his name from 8 innings in the tournament.

On the other hand, Fazalhaq Farooqi is at the top of the wicket charts as ended with 17 wickets. Skipper Rashid Khan bagged 14 wickets and Naveen-ul-Haq too chipped in with 13 wickets. However, despite the massive contribution, they couldn't reach the final but entertained many.

Keep ur head up & should feel proud of the journey u all had - Mohammad Hafeez on Afghanistan

As the Afghanistan campaign ended in the T20 World Cup 2024, Mohammad Hafeez was in awe of the way they played throughout the tournament. He praised the Rashid Khan-led side for the way they entertained the fans and said that they should be proud of their journey. Taking to his Twitter account, he explained:

"Hats off to @ACBofficials putting up the most incredible performances in this @T20WorldCup 2024. Undoubtedly 2nd best white ball cricket team in South Asia. U all surely entertained fans around the globe with ur skills & commitment to representing ur country. Keep ur head up & should feel proud of the journey u all had. Kudos 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.. @rashidkhan_19 @RGurbaz_21 @fazalfarooqi10."

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Mohammad Hafeez's comment about second second-best Asian team potentially was a dig at the Pakistan Cricket Team, who were eliminated in the league stage itself.