PCB announces Pakistan’s Test squad for South Africa series; Babar Azam & Mohammad Rizwan included

On Tuesday, September 30, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced an 18-player squad for their upcoming home Test series against South Africa, starting on October 12 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

While the first Test will be played in Lahore, the second Test is scheduled to commence on October 20 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. Shan Masood will continue to lead the side as they begin their ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign.

Star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi earned the recall after he missed Pakistan's most recent Test series against the West Indies at the start of the year. Naseem Shah misses out on the squad while the experienced batting duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are included.

Uncapped players Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram, and Rohail Nazir were all named in the squad to take on the reigning World Test Championship winners. Though the squad is of 18 at the moment, it is expected to be trimmed to 15 before the first Test commences in Lahore.

Spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Ali will continue to play a crucial role at home. Abdullah Shafique, Imam ul Haq, and Kamran Ghulam are some of the other players part of the squad.

Following the Test series, Pakistan and South Africa will take on each other in three ODIs and as many T20Is. PCB will announce its squad for the white-ball series that follows the Tests soon.

Pakistan Test squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pakistan vs South Africa Test series schedule:

First Test: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, October 12-16

Second Test: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, October 20-24

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky365 and download the Sky365 App to start betting today!