Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan will get more respect now: Shadab Khan after PAK"s T20I series defeat vs AFG

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Shadab Khan, the Pakistan captain for the 3-T20I series against Afghanistan, has said that people will realise the importance of senior batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan following their first-ever series defeat against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Sunday.

Babar, Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi were rested for the ongoing series as Shadab was named the captain and young bloods were given the opportunity to give a new dimension to Pakistan's T20I team. Pakistan top-order had lately been criticised for a slow strike rate.

"People criticise Babar and Rizwan regardless of whether they perform or not. There is always a sword hanging over them of strike rate. As a nation, we wanted youngsters to come in international cricket, as they were performing in PSL (Pakistan Super League), so we thought they would play with a better strike rate," Shadab said after losing the second T20I by seven wickets.

"But finally, our nation will realise that experience matters and our seniors didn't get the respect they deserved considering their performances. So after this series, they will get a lot more respect from media and the nation, he added.

After restricting Pakistan for 92/9, Afghanistan chased down the target with six wickets and 13 balls remaining in the first T20I. In the second T20I, the Men in Green managed to post 130/6 after another top-order collapse. Pakistan were two down with a single run on the board.

"When you lose three wickets in powerplay, you lose 70 per cent of the games…the young players were nervous," Shadab said.

"They are playing for the first time for Pakistan, but we have to back them.

"Our motive for this series was to check out talented young players and we have to back them in the future," he added.

The two teams will face each other in the third and final ODI on Monday, March 27.