Pakistan on Wednesday recalled former captain Babar Azam for the away Test series and white-ball matches against South Africa starting next week, but there was no place for spinner Sajid Khan.
The 30-year-old star batsman was dropped after the first Test defeat against England in October and rested for the ongoing limited-overs series against Zimbabwe.
Pakistan will play three T20 Internationals in South Africa from December 10, followed by three ODIs and two Tests. Fast bowler Mohammad Abbas also returned to the Test team after playing for the last time in 2021.
Off-spinner Sajid was left out of the squad despite taking 19 wickets in the 2-1 home Test series win against England, with the selectors taking into account the less spin-friendly pitches in South Africa.
Aqib Javed, a senior member of the selection committee, said in a Pakistan Cricket Board statement, “We have adopted a policy of courses for horses to balance the squads and it was a very difficult decision to drop Sajid.”
Sajid’s spin partner Nauman Ali, who took 20 wickets against England, is a centurion and the only spinner in the Cape Town Test. The first test will start from December 26.
Javed said that fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been selected only for white ball matches to handle his workload.
Javed said opener Fakhar Zaman is still out as he is yet to regain form and match fitness.