Babar Azam returns as Pakistan announces squad for South Africa tour

LAHORE: Pakistan has announced squads for the upcoming South Africa tour, scheduled from 10 December to 7 January, ARY News reported quoting PCB.

Pakistan men’s selection committee named the squad for the tour comprising three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.

Babar Azam has been named in all three squads along with Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha, while Naseem Shah has been selected for the Tests and ODIs. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who also missed the last two Tests against England, has been picked for the white-ball matches as part of his workload management so that he is in his best fitness and form for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Also returning to the Test side is fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who last played in Jamaica in August 2021. Abbas, who has taken 90 wickets in 25 Tests, had a stellar Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, claiming 31 wickets in five matches.

Naseem Shah has also been named in the four-man pace attack after missing the last two Tests against England. The 21-year-old, who has played 19 Tests since making his debut in November 2019, has taken four wickets to date for Lahore Whites against Peshawar in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match in Abbottabad.

Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad has also been named in the Test side after claiming 15 wickets for Pakistan Shaheens against Sri Lanka ‘A’ last month. Mir Hamza is the fourth fast bowler in the 15-man Test squad and is presently playing for Peshawar against Lahore Whites in Abbottabad.

However, off-spinner Sajid Khan has missed out on selection despite his 19 wickets against England. The selectors, after taking into consideration the Centurion and Newlands conditions as well as South Africa as the opposition, have opted for only one specialist spinner in Noman Ali, who took 20 wickets against England and has 67 wickets in 17 Tests.

Also earning the selectors nod for the first time in ODIs is Sufyan Moqim, the left-arm wrist spinner who has taken eight wickets in two T20Is, including five wickets for three runs in the second T20I.

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

Pakistan men’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie will also arrive in Johannesburg on 13 December to supervise the pre-Test series camp.

Announcing the squad, Aqib Javed, member selection committee and interim white-ball head coach 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 added.

Javed further stated that “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.

Pakistan squads

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)

Pakistan vs South Africa tour schedule:

T20I series

• 10 Dec – First T20I, Durban
• 13 Dec – Second T20I, Centurion
• 14 Dec – Third T20I, Johannesburg

ODI series

• 17 Dec – First ODI, Paarl
• 19 Dec – Second ODI, Cape Town
• 22 Dec – Third ODI, Johannesburg

Test series

• 26-30 Dec – First Test, Centurion
• 3-7 Jan – Second Test, Cape Town