- The selectors dropped Shaheen Afridi from the Test squad.
- Babar Azam included in the teams of all three formats
- Focus on building momentum for Champions Trophy: Javed
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced the Green Shirts squads for the upcoming tour of South Africa starting from December 10 for all three formats.
The national team will play three T20Is during their tour, followed by the same number of ODIs that will conclude with two Test matches on January 7.
Shaan Masood will lead the Red Ball team while Mohammad Rizwan will lead the team in ODI and T20.
The men in green will travel to South Africa after winning the ODI series 2-1 against Zimbabwe and taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against them in the T20I series on Tuesday.
Earlier, the national team secured their first 50-over series win at the Kangaroos’ home ground in 22 years with a historic 2-1 ODI series victory over Australia on their back-to-back.
However, the hosts then whitewashed Pakistan in the subsequent T20I series.
The upcoming tour to South Africa will provide the team with valuable match practice to fine-tune the combination and finalize preparations ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan next year.
Babar Azam has been included in all three squads along with Rizwan, Saeem Ayub and Salman Ali Agha while Naseem Shah has been selected for Tests and ODIs.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who missed the last two Tests against England, has been selected for the white-ball matches as part of his workload management to ensure he is at his best fitness and form for the Champions Trophy. i am
Also returning to the Test team is fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who last played in Jamaica in August 2021. Abbas, who took 90 wickets in 25 Tests, won the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, taking 31 wickets in five matches.
Receiving the selectors’ nod for the first time in ODIs is Sufian Mogheen, the left-arm wrist-spinner who took eight wickets in two T20Is, including five for three in the second T20I.
Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad has also been included in the Test team after taking 15 wickets for Pakistan Shaheens against Sri Lanka “A” last month.
Mir Hamza is the fourth fast bowler in the 15-member Test squad and is currently playing for Peshawar against Lahore Whites in Abbottabad.
Additionally, the selectors have decided to go with Nouman Ali, a specialist spinner who took 20 wickets against England in light of the conditions at Centurion and Newlands, and left out Sajid Khan despite taking 19 wickets against England.
The T20 squad will leave for South Africa on December 6 after Thursday’s third T20 against Zimbabwe, while the ODI and Test players will leave for Johannesburg on December 13.
Red Ball head coach Jason Gillespie will also arrive in Johannesburg on December 13 to oversee the pre-Test series camp.
Speaking about the squads, Interim Whiteball Head Coach Aqib Javed said: “We have adopted a horse-for-course policy to ensure all three squads are well-balanced and strong in South Africa. able to perform”.
“Our focus in ODIs is to continue the momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy while the T20 series provides a platform to blend experience with emerging talent,” he said.
Speaking on Shaheen’s exclusion from the Test team, the former cricketer termed the decision as a “strategic” move to ensure that the fast bowler remains physically and mentally fresh for the Champions Trophy.
Troops
T20Is: Muhammad Rizwan (captain and wicket), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Umeer Bin Yousaf, Saeem Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Muqim, Tayyab. Tahir and Usman Khan (wk)
ODIs: Muhammad Rizwan (captain and wicket), Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Muhammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saeem Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufian Muqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (Saturday)
Test: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haseebullah (wicket), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shehzad, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Rizwan (wicket), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
Tour fixtures
December 10 – 1st T20I, Durban
December 13 — 2nd T20I, Centurion
December 14 – 3rd T20I, Johannesburg
December 17 – 1st ODI, Parl
December 19 — Second ODI, Cape Town
December 22 – 3rd ODI, Johannesburg
December 26-30 – First Test, Centurion
January 3-7 — Second Test, Cape Town