Shadab sheds light on Afghanistan T20I series loss
Pakistan lost 2-1
Pakistan captain Shadab Khan has opened up after his side lost the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah.
Pakistan suffered defeats in the first two matches of the series but bounced back in the third T20I on Monday to avoid whitewash. This was Afghanistan's first-ever series win against Pakistan.
“It was an honour for me to lead the Pakistan team. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win the series but we have an exciting bunch of youngsters who have the ability to become the stars of the future,” said Shadab.
“There was some nervousness I think in the first couple of matches but the players adapted to the conditions quickly and bounced back in the third game.
“No matter what the situation is, my demand from the players is to have a never give up attitude. They should an outstanding fight in the first two matches and that is exactly what I wanted to see.”
Shadab was hopeful that the youngsters in the Pakistan team will put up a better show in the future.
“I’m sure that the players will learn from this series and improve their game awareness. Considering the kind of talent and attitude they have, these players will perform better in the future,” he said.
He also lauded pacer Ihsanullah, who was the highest wicket-taker in his debut series with six scalps in three innings.
“Ihsanullah is a good addition to the Pakistan pace battery bearing in the mind the fact that we already have the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. This is an exciting time for Pakistan cricket,” he concluded.
Shadab led Pakistan team in the absence of regular captain Babar Azam, who was rested for the series. However, Azam is likely to return as skipper during the upcoming series against New Zealand in April-May.
The Afghanistan T20I series was Pakistan’s first since their T20 World Cup campaign in Australia last year, where they were the runners-up.
Match results
First T20I – March 24 – Afghanistan won by six wickets
Second T20I – March 26 – Afghanistan won by seven wickets
Third T20I – March 27 – Pakistan won by 66 runs
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