Shadab Khan to Captain Pakistan against Afghanistan in T20 series

Shadab Khan is set to lead a new-look Pakistan side in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, starting 24 March.Shadab Khan will take over the reins of Pakistan’s T20I side against Afghanistan in the absence of regular captain Babar Azam. Pakistan also decided to rest several key regulars for the series, including Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan.

Shadab has been the vice-captain of the limited-overs side in the last two years and even stood in for Babar during the T20I series on the tour of New Zealand in 2020.

Speaking on being named the captain for the Afghanistan series, Shadab said: “I am grateful to the Almighty for this opportunity. Representing your country is an honour for any cricketer and to lead it is 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.”This will be Pakistan’s first T20I assignment since the loss in the T20 World Cup Final against England in November 2022. The series against Afghanistan presents them with the opportunity to bring in fresh faces, with an eye on the T20 World Cup next year in the West Indies and the USA.

Several exciting new talents such as Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan are in line for their T20I debuts after impressing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) while the likes of Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have earned a recall.