Pak vs South Africa: Rizwan aims to keep winning streak

DURBAN: T20I Captain Mohammad Rizwan is hopeful to maintain winning momentum as the Green Shirts are gearing up to take on South Africa in an all-format series for the first time since 2019.

According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Rizwan believes the wickets in South Africa will challenge Pakistani batters, but at the same time favour the pacers. “…we are eager to continue the winning momentum from the last tour against Zimbabwe.”

The series kicks off with the first of three T20 Internationals (T20Is) on Tuesday at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban. 

The board said Pakistan’s T20I squad arrived in Durban on Friday and has already completed two training sessions ahead of the match. 

The second and third T20Is are scheduled for December 13 and 14 at SuperSport Park in Centurion and The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, respectively. The series will continue with three ODIs on December 17, 19, and 22, followed by two Test matches — the first in Centurion on December 26 and the second in Cape Town on January 3. 

The T20I squad, announced on December 4, sees the return of regular white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan, who was rested for the Zimbabwe series. Key players Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi have also rejoined the squad after sitting out the Zimbabwe matches. 

The PCB said Pakistan has enjoyed recent success in T20I series against the Proteas, winning the last two bilateral series. They claimed a 2-1 victory at home in February 2021 and followed it up with a 3-1 victory in their backyard in April 2021. 

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T20I captain Mohammad Rizwan said: “We have been on the road since last month and this is our third successive overseas tour, which has made the unit more proactive in terms of the preparations and getting used to the local conditions as soon as possible.”

He noted that the return of Babar, Naseem and Shaheen to the white-ball squads is a welcome development for the team. “…with a fine blend of youth and experience, we look forward to do our best against South Africa in this T20I series before the focus shifts to the other two formats.”

Pakistan T20I squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), 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)

SA T20I squad: Heinrich Klaasen (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Simelane, Rassie van der Dussen

Pak vs South Africa Schedule:

10 Dec – 1st T20I vs South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban (9pm PKT)

13 Dec – 2nd T20I vs South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion (9pm PKT)

14 Dec – 3rd T20I vs South Africa at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (9pm PKT)

17 Dec – 1st ODI vs South Africa at Boland Bank Park, Paarl (5pm PKT)

19 Dec – 2nd ODI vs South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town (5pm PKT)

22 Dec – 3rd ODI vs South Africa at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (5pm PKT)

26 Dec – Pak vs South Africa 1st Test at SuperSport Park, Centurion (1pm PKT)

3 Jan – 2nd Test vs South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town (1pm PKT)