Pakistan's captain for the Afghanistan T20I series, Shadab Khan urged fans to support youngsters during the matches.
Taking on Twitter on his way to Sharjah, Shadab said he is excited to lead a young and energetic squad.
"A dream for any Pakistani to captain the national cricket team. Can’t thank Allah enough. Really excited to lead this young team, loads of talent. We will try to play aggressive and progressive cricket. Remember to back the youngsters, they are our future," he wrote.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given rest to its main players including captain Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, and Fakhar Zaman.
The team's vice-captain in white-ball format, Shadab will lead the squad in Babar's absence. Youngsters including Saim Ayub, Azam Khan, Ihsanullah and Zaman Khan, who performed well in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8, have made it into the national squad for Afghanistan series.
T20I Squad against Afghanistan
Shadab Khan (c), Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan
Reserved players: Abrar Ahmed, Haseebullah, Usama Mir
Schedule
Mar 24 - First T20I - Sharjah
Mar 26 - Second T20I - Sharjah
Mar 27 - Third T20I - Sharjah