The squads of the men’s cricket team for the upcoming tour of South Africa, has been selected by the chief selection panel of PCB. The series will start from 2nd week of December, including three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests as a part of the ICC World Test Championship.
The squad selections reflect a strategic focus on the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who is being not selected for Test matches to prioritize his fitness for 50-over formats, and opener Fakhar Zaman, has not been selected due to his persistent fitness concerns.
Sajid khan, who gave his best performance against England, has also been rested from the Test squad. Muhammad Abbas has been selected for his pace-friendly skills, as it is expected to see such conditions in South Africa.
Shan Masood will play the role of captain in the Test series, while Mohammad Rizwan will lead the white-ball matches. Senior batter Babar Azam is part of all three squads, along with other key players.
Aqib Javed, the selector and interim head coach for the white-ball team, said, “We have adopted a horses for courses policy to ensure all three squads are well-balanced and capable of performing strongly in South Africa.”
“Leaving out Sajid Khan, despite his stellar performances against England, was an extremely tough and difficult decision. However, considering the pace-friendly conditions at Centurion and in Cape Town, we opted for Mohammad Abbas instead, who is an outstanding exponent of seam bowling.” He said.
“Shaheen Shah Afridi’s exclusion from the Test squad is a strategic decision to ensure he remains physically and mentally fresh for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Similarly, Fakhar Zaman was not considered as he is yet to regain form and match fitness.” He further added.
“Our aim is to maintain consistency in ODI selections as part of our ICC Champions Trophy 2025 preparations, while also giving emerging talent opportunities in T20Is alongside experienced players. For Tests, we have focused on assembling a squad that can adapt to challenging conditions and consistently compete at the highest level.” Aqib further stated.
Squads For Pakistan’s tour of South Africa:
Test Squad:
Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
ODI Squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (c, wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan (wk)
T20I Squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (c, wk), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan (wk)
Series Schedule:
First T20I: December 10, Durban
Second T20I: December 13, Centurion
Third T20I: December 14, Johannesburg
First ODI: December 17, Paarl
Second ODI: December 19, Cape Town
Third ODI: December 22, Johannesburg
First Test: December 26-30, Centurion
Second Test: January 3-7, Cape Town
