Experience comes when you play big teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan urged cricket’s leading nations to schedule more bilateral series against his side, insisting that sustained exposure to top-tier opposition is the only way for the rapidly improving squad to iron out the flaws exposed during their T20 World Cup campaign.

Speaking after Afghanistan closed their tournament account with an emphatic 82-run victory over Canada on Thursday, Rashid said the side had shown flashes of brilliance—most notably in a dramatic Super-Over loss to South Africa—but lacked the fine-tuning that regular contests against heavyweight teams provide.

“Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs,” Rashid told reporters after returning 2 for 19 against Canada. “That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series.”

The leg-spinning spearhead pointed to the Super-Over thriller with South Africa—where scores were tied before the Proteas prevailed in a second tie-breaker—as evidence of Afghanistan’s growing confidence, but argued that sporadic meetings at global events are no substitute for a steady diet of high-pressure bilateral cricket.

Afghanistan entered the competition well prepared, according to Rashid, and produced moments that lit up the early stages of the World Cup. Yet without consistent fixtures against the sport’s traditional powers, he believes progress in pivotal phases such as middle-overs batting and death bowling will remain incremental.

The skipper’s plea is likely to resonate with a side that has climbed the rankings on the back of franchise leagues and ICC events, but still struggles to secure marquee three-match rubbers enjoyed by Full Members.

Rashid’s parting message was clear: if Afghanistan is to turn promising performances into consistent wins against cricket’s elite, the pathway is more invites, more flights, and more bilateral battles—not just global gatherings every couple of years.