Uncapped players Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram and Rohail Nazir have been included in Pakistan’s 18-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday (September 30).
Despite criticism over his captaincy record of just three wins in 12 matches, Shan Masood will continue to lead the side. He will open the innings along with Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq. The middle order features star batter Babar Azam, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, Kamran Ghulam, T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel. Nazir has been added as another wicketkeeping option.
Pakistan have opted for a spin-heavy squad, naming five spinners: Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Abrar Ahmed, along with left-arm bowlers Asif Afridi and Faisal Akram. This indicates the likelihood of low and slow pitches for the series. On the pace front, the squad includes Aamir Jamal, Hasan Ali, Khurram Shahzad and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The series will mark the start of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle for both teams. South Africa enter the contest as defending champions of the Test mace, while Pakistan will be aiming for a stronger performance after finishing at the bottom of the previous cycle, where they won only five of their 14 Tests.
The first Test will be played in Lahore from October 12, followed by the second in Rawalpindi starting October 20. After the Test series, the two sides will face off in three T20Is and three ODIs, with Pakistan’s white-ball squads to be announced later.
Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi.