Afghanistan’s skipper Rashid Khan said on Saturday that he was “feeling super proud to have led my nation to this historic win.”

Taking to twitter after Friday night’s historic win against Pakistan in their first T20I series match in Sharjah, Rashid also said: “Couldn’t have asked for a better performance from our bowlers.”

Man of the match award however went to veteran player Mohammad Nabi who was recalled to the squad last week after stepping down as captain last year.

Speaking after Friday night’s match, Rashid hailed the team’s maiden T20 victory against Pakistan, by 6 wickets, but said their front-line batters need to improve ahead of the 50-overs World Cup in India later this year.

They restricted the young Pakistan side, led by Shadab Khan, to 92-9 and chased down the target with 13 balls to spare with Mohammad Nabi making an unbeaten 38 in the low-scoring contest to go with his two wickets with the ball.

“It’s a pleasure to win as we’ve always lost against them, sometimes with small margins,” Rashid said after the victory.

“Happy for the win, and we hope to continue the momentum.”

It was not an easy chase though as Afghanistan slumped to 27-3 before Nabi rescued them.

Rashid said their top order needed to perform better in the ongoing three-match series and maintain that form heading into the ODI World Cup in October-November.

“We need to improve not just for this series but as we get to the World Cup,” Rashid said.

“From now on, we need to put effort day by day and game by game, so that by the end of the year, when we go for the World Cup, we’ll have a fully prepared squad.”

Afghanistan will again take on Pakistan in the second T20 on Sunday.

Afghanistan secured a historic win over Pakistan during the first T20I match of the three-match series in Sharjah on Friday.

Afghanistan team registered a significant win by 6 wickets over Pakistan, the runner-up of the T20 World Cup 2022.

Batting first, Pakistan managed to score only 92 runs as the hosts wrapped up the match in the 18th over to register a 6-wicket win. Mohammad Nabi was named man of the match for his unbeaten 38-run knock, and wonderful performance against Pakistan.

After opting to bat first, Pakistan lost their opening wicket in the 3rd over as Saim Ayub got bowled out on 17. Team Pakistan suffered a dramatic collapse as they crawled to 92/2 in 20 overs.

The first wicket was the turning point as Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals to give Afghanistan momentum. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan as his spell of 2/9 in 4 overs broke Pakistan’s batting spine.

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Chief Executive Naseeb Khan said the best available players had been chosen. Spinner Rashid Khan will captain team Afghanistan in the T20 series against Pakistan. Former captain Mohammad Nabi is part of the squad.

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday named a 17-member squad, led by Rashid Khan, for the three-match T20I series against Pakistan, which starts in Sharjah later this week.

According to the ACB, Mohammad Nabi, the team’s former captain, has been recalled while left-handed opener Sediqullah Atal has been added to the squad.

Atal could be a potential debutant for Afghanistan in the series, said ACB.

Nijat Masoud and Zahir Khan who were part of the Afghanistan squad during the UAE tour last month have been kept as reserves, while Rahmat Shah and Hazratullah Zazai have been excluded.

“Our team has been working hard in training camp and selectors have selected the best available players for the series. I am confident that our team will perform at their best and make our nation proud. We wish our team the best of luck for the series and hope to see them emerge victorious,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said.

“In addition, we look forward to an exciting competition between two great teams. Both nations have passionate fans who support their teams with enthusiasm and pride. As neighbors, we have a special bond and we hope to showcase not only our cricketing skills but also the spirit of friendship and sportsmanship. We wish both teams the best of luck and hope that cricket fans around the world will enjoy the games,” he added.

Afghanistan Squad: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq.

Reserve players include Nangyal Kharoti, Zahir Khan and Nijat Masoud.