We needed to play for Pakistan's pride and we did it, says Shadab after avoiding series sweep against Afghanistan

Sharjah, March 28 (IANS) Pakistan stand-in captain Shadab Khan acknowledged that his team aimed to play for national pride in the third T20I match, despite already losing the three-match series to Afghanistan.

Pakistan registered a 66-run win over Afghanistan on Monday, preventing a complete T20I series sweep. Shadab, who contributed 28 runs and claimed three wickets, emphasised that Pakistan aimed to end the series with a triumphant note, despite their earlier defeat.

"We wanted to finish on a high note and we have done that. We had to adapt to the conditions and the batsmen managed to do that. We needed to play for Pakistan's pride and we did it. The main motive of this series was to give the youngsters a chance, hopefully, they will get confidence from these matches and it will help them in the long run," Shadab, who was adjudged Player of the Match for his all-round show, said after the match.

Pakistan's batting performance significantly improved in the third T20I, following their previous scores of 92/9 and 130/6 in the first two matches. Saim Ayub played a cautious innings of 49 off 40 runs, while Shadab's quick 28 off 17 balls helped Pakistan reach a total of 182/7 in the third match.

In reply, Afghanistan lost two crucial wickets in the powerplay in the run chase, Shadab Khan and Ihsanullah's combined effort led to six wickets in total, as Afghanistan struggled to reach their target and were eventually dismissed for a mere 116 runs in just 18.4 overs.

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