Pakistan limited-overs skipper Sarfraz Ahmed has put his weight behind leg spinner Shadab Khan, after the youngster impressive showing against West Indies on Sunday.

The 18-year old Shadab, who played his debut game against West Indies, ended up winning man of the match for his figures of three wickets for seven runs in his spell of four overs. Pakistan were able to chase down the 112-run target with six wickets in hand courtesy veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik’s solid 38 off 29 against reigning World Twenty 20 Champions.

In a video message released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Sarfraz Ahmed said “The first match of any series is important and thanks to Almighty we won it.”

The 29-year old skipper admired his bowlers saying, “I would like to give credit to the bowlers. Imad [Wasim] gave us a great start, then Shadab, followed by our pacers Wahab [Riaz] and Hasan [Ali] who bowled really well. Especially Wahab, the two overs he bowled against the wind, it was quite difficult to bowl in those conditions.”

The skipper further congratulated Shadab and said that today (Sunday) was a big day for the young lad and his family.

“The way Shadab bowled, it was his first match and he deserves a lot of praise for that. I think it would be a big day for his family because he represented Pakistan today for the first time and was the man of the match,” said Sarfraz.

The skipper further said Shadab’s debut performance was a sign of good things to come, and a lot more can be expected from the youngster.

Pakistan, lead the four-match T20I series 1-0, will play the second T20I against West Indies on Thursday.