Babar Azam Included in All Squads for Pakistan's South Africa Tour; Shaheen Rested for Tests

Lahore, Dec 4 (NationPress) Pakistan has officially revealed the teams for the forthcoming multi-format tour of South Africa, with Babar Azam included in all three teams alongside Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, and Salman Ali Agha.

The series consists of three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests, scheduled from December 10 to January 7.

Pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who also missed the last two Tests against England, has been selected for the white-ball matches as part of his workload management strategy. Naseem Shah has been named in the Test and ODI squads.

“The decision to exclude Shaheen Shah Afridi from the Test squad is tactical, aimed at keeping him physically and mentally prepared for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In a similar vein, Fakhar Zaman was not included as he has yet to regain his form and fitness,” stated Aqib Javed, a member of the selection committee and interim head coach for white-ball formats.

Returning to the Test side is fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who last participated in a match in Jamaica in August 2021. Naseem has also been included in the four-man pace attack after missing the last two Tests against England.

Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad has earned a spot in the Test lineup after taking 15 wickets for Pakistan Shaheens against Sri Lanka ‘A’ last month. Mir Hamza rounds out the pace unit in the 15-man Test squad.

However, off-spinner Sajid Khan was not selected despite his impressive 19 wickets against England, as selectors opted for just one specialist spinner, Noman Ali, who collected 20 wickets against England.

“Excluding Sajid Khan, despite his remarkable performances against England, was a challenging decision. However, given the pace-friendly conditions anticipated at Centurion and Cape Town, we chose Mohammad Abbas, who excels in seam bowling,” Javed explained.

Also making his ODI debut is Sufyan Moqim, a left-arm wrist spinner with eight wickets in two T20Is, including a stunning five wickets for just three runs in the second T20I.

The T20I squad will head to South Africa on Friday, December 6, after the third T20I against Zimbabwe on Thursday, while the ODI and Test players will leave for Johannesburg on December 13.

The series will kick off with the first T20I in Durban on December 10, followed by the first ODI in Paarl on December 17. The Test matches will take place at Centurion and Cape Town on December 26 and January 3, respectively.

Pakistan squads for the South Africa tour:

Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), 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, and Salman Ali Agha.

ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & 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 (captain & 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).