Pakistan could make one change in their playing XI for the second T20I against Afghanistan today (Sunday) in Sharjah.
The Shadab Khan-led unit, who are 1-0 down in the three-match series, could opt for one of the all-rounders, with Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed available on the bench, in place of speedster Zaman Khan bearing in mind the fact that the Sharjah pitch was more conducive for the spinners during the series opener.
"This series is for our youngsters. We tried to give them confidence. Sometimes, this can happen due to the nerves of international cricket but we have to back them because they have the talent, and hopefully, they'll show it in the next game,” Shadab said after the first T20I, which indicated that Pakistan are likely to give a proper run to the young players during the series.
“These players are talented and we are sure about that. We should not make someone a star after just one good performance or discard them after one failure. We will back these players and give them full opportunity to perform during the series,” he added.
It must be noted that, while chasing a target of only 93 runs, Afghanistan reached home in 17.5 overs for the loss of four wickets during the first T20I on Friday.
This was the first win for Afghanistan over Pakistan in international cricket.
Debutant Ihsanullah claimed two wickets in his first over to put the batting side under pressure. However, Afghanistan held their nerve to chase down the target.
Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who finished the match with a six, scored unbeaten run-a-ball 38 with the help of three fours and a maximum.
Earlier, after a brilliant bowling display by Afghanistan, Pakistan were restricted to 92-9 in 20 overs. This was Pakistan's lowest total after batting full 20 overs in T20Is. Previous was 96-9 vs Australia in 2014.
Saim Ayub, middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir and right-arm quicks Zaman Khan and Ihsanullah made their Pakistan debuts during the match.
Meanwhile, top-order batter Abdullah Shafique, all-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim, and Azam Khan marked their returns to the Pakistan side.
The third T20I of the series will be played on Monday, March 27, at the same venue.
Pakistan likely playing XI for second T20I:
Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris, Abdullah Shafique, Tayyab Tahir, Shadab Khan (c), Azam Khan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz/Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Naseem Shah and Ihsanullah