Pakistan squads for SA tour revealed, Aaqib Javed explains picks

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed the squads for the upcoming series against South Africa on Wednesday, which is set to kick off on December 10. The press release also contained comments from white-ball coach Aaqib Javed, who explained the picks.

The upcoming tour will begin with three T20Is, followed by three ODIs, and will end with two tests.

The interim white-ball head coach and member of the selection committee, Aqib Javed, stated that the team has “adopted a horses for courses policy to ensure all three squads are well-balanced and capable of performing strongly in South Africa.”

Shan Masood will captain the test side, while Mohammad Rizwan will lead the ODI and T20I squads. Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Salman Ali Agha are featured in all three squads, while Naseem Shah has been selected for both tests and ODIs. Shaheen Shah Afridi will play in the white-ball formats, skipping out on the test matches as part of his workload management, ensuring he is ready for the Champions Trophy in February of next year.

“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,” said Javed.

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Pakistan’s test bowlers feature Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, and Mir Hamza. Abbas performed incredibly in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, taking 31 wickets in five matches. Shahzad had a great performance against Sri Lanka ‘A’ last month, as he took 15 wickets.

Somewhat controversially, Sajid Khan was not selected, as the PCB decided to only take one spinner, in Noman Ali, due to considerations for the conditions in South Africa as well as the opposition they are playing against. Noman took 20 wickets against England in the last test series against England, while Sajid took 19.

“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,” said Javed.

Sufiyan Moqim was selected as part of the ODI squad for the first time ever. He had previously played in two T20Is, in which he took a total of eight wickets.

The T20I squad will depart for South Africa this Friday, while the ODI and test players will leave on December 13.

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“The Test series against South Africa will be highly competitive, but we are confident in our team’s ability to secure a historic series win. Our focus in ODIs is to continue building momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy, while the T20I series provides a platform to blend experience with emerging talent,” said Javed.

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)

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