AFG vs PAK: "This Is A Big Responsibility Of Leading The Side..." - Shadab Khan Wary Of Captaining Pakistan Against Afghanistan

Afghanistan Cricket Team is all set to clash against Pakistan for a 3 T20I Match series commencing from 24th March. PCB has named a young squad where the likes of Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi & Haris Rauf are rested. Shadab Khan has been named the skipper which would be his first stint. Shadab would be tested as beating Afghanistan won’t be easy where they have a lot of match-winners.

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan would sense that they have got a great chance to stamp their authority against Pakistan. Recently Afghanistan defeated UAE in the T20I Series quite convincingly. Afghanistan would be aware of the heart-wrenching defeat against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022.

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Shadab Khan Speaks About New Role

Shadab Khan was having an interaction with ICC & was asked about leading Pakistan against Afghanistan.

“I am grateful to the Almighty for this opportunity. Representing your country is an honour for any cricketer and to lead it is an even a bigger honour so I am very excited and eager to take this role. This is a big responsibility as I will be leading a nation of 220 million people and I will try my best to do justice with it with all the ability that I have,” said Shadab Khan.

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“I want to congratulate all the youngsters who have gotten selected for this series. Whenever you start in any field, you want to go to the highest level and for a cricketer being selected for Pakistan is the best that they can achieve. This is a young unit and youngsters always bring a different spark and energy, and there is no doubt that this series is going to be very exciting,” he added.

Shadab Khan on Youngsters

Shadab Khan heaped praise on Abdullah Shafique & rising players.

“In Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub, we are reliable batters who can carry the top-order. While Abdullah has tasted success in Tests, this is a good opportunity for him to thump his authority in T20Is too. Saim is a brilliant mix of your traditional and modern-day batter as his exquisite strokeplay ensures runs at a faster rate,” Shadab Khan stated.

“Tayyab Tahir and Azam Khan are solid batters who can turn the game around with their explosive batting, something the two had been demonstrating in domestic and franchise cricket for a while now. Both have been with the side for a series each in the last two years and it is time for them to step up,” he stated.

“It is very good to have Imad Wasim and Faheem Ashraf back. Solid all-rounders are gold for any T20 line-up and their presence provides a good balance as both have performed really well with the bat and ball in their respective departments,” he added.

“I am very excited to see how Ihsanullah and Zaman Khan step up. The two fast and fearsome pace bowlers bowl above 140kph and hit perfect lengths. You can use such bowlers at any stage of the innings and I am looking forward to making the most of their presence. This is going to be a very exciting series and I am eager for it,” he concluded.

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