Pakistan announces 18 players squad for South Africa Test series

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named an 18-player squad for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa. The series will begin Pakistan’s new ICC World Test Championship cycle (2025–27).

The first Test will start on October 12 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, while the second will be played in Rawalpindi from October 20.

As expected, Shan Masood will continue as captain. The selectors have picked a mix of senior players and new faces. Left-arm spinners Asif Afridi and Faisal Akram, along with wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir, have received their first Test call-ups.

Big names like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan will lead the experienced group, while Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha also keep their spots. The spin attack looks strong with Abrar Ahmed, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali joining the two newcomers.

Meanwhile, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Ali, and Mohammad Huraira, who were part of the squad against West Indies earlier this year, have been left out.

Pakistan Squad for South Africa Tests:

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

The team will begin training under red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood at the National Cricket Academy. Players coming back from the Asia Cup will join the camp on October 4.

South Africa, the reigning World Test Championship winners, are touring Pakistan for the first time since winning the 2023–25 title. The series is expected to be a tough contest, with Pakistan aiming to start the new cycle strongly at home.

After the two Tests, both teams will also play three T20Is and three ODIs between October 28 and November 8. Squads for those matches will be announced later.

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