The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced highly-anticipated squads for the upcoming South Africa tour on Wednesday. The star batter and former captain Babar Azam returned to both the ODI and T20I setup after being rested for the recent Zimbabwe tour.
As expected, Pakistan named a strong squad for the multi-format South Africa tour after resting their senior cricketers against Zimbabwe. Newly-appointed captain Mohammad Rizwan also returned to the T20I setup after being rested against Zimbabwe. The star pace bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were also included with the former shockingly being excluded from the Test squad and the latter missing out on T20Is.
Meanwhile, the young spinner Sufiyan Muqeem has been included in the ODI squad for the first time. He picked 8 wickets in 2 T20I innings against Zimbabwe to earn his maiden ODI callup but there was no place for the experienced Shadab Khan.
“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," Aqib Javed, the interim white-ball head coach and PCB selection committee member told the PCB website. "For Tests, we have focused on assembling a squad that can adapt to challenging conditions and consistently compete at the highest level.
“The Test series against South Africa will be highly competitive, but we are confident in our team’s ability to secure a historic series win. Our focus in ODIs is to continue building momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy, while the T20I series provides a platform to blend experience with emerging talent.”
Pakistan squads for South Africa tour
ODIs: 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 Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wk).
T20Is: 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 Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wk).
Pakistan men's tour of South Africa 2024-25
- 10 Dec – First T20I, Durban
- 13 Dec – Second T20I, Centurion
- 14 Dec – Third T20I, Johannesburg
- 17 Dec – First ODI, Paarl
- 19 Dec – Second ODI, Cape Town
- 22 Dec – Third ODI, Johannesburg
- 26-30 Dec – First Test, Centurion
- 3-7 Jan – Second Test, Cape Town
