Pakistan Test squad for South Africa announced; Saim Ayub dropped
Published - 30 Sep 2025, 12:02 PM | Updated - 30 Sep 2025, 02:05 PM
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa at home. Veteran batter Shan Masood will lead the team in their first ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 series, while pacer Shaheen Afridi has been recalled to the squad.
South Africa is set to tour Pakistan in October and November for a series across all formats. The tour will begin with a two-match Test series, with the first Test scheduled at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from October 12 to 16, followed by the second Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20 to 24.
After the red-ball fixtures, the tour will continue with three T20Is and three ODIs from October 28 to November 8. The squad for the upcoming white-ball series will be announced later.
Pakistan Announces Squad for South Africa Home Test Series
On Tuesday, September 30, the selectors announced the 18-member squad for the upcoming series, with a mix of experienced campaigners and promising newcomers.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan continue to play central roles, while Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq are likely to open the innings. Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, and Kamran Ghulam will provide additional depth to the batting lineup.
Three uncapped players, left-arm spinner Asif Afridi, wrist-spinner Faisal Akram, and wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir, have been included in the senior team. Afridi and Akram will join Abrar Ahmed, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali in the spin attack. Notably, Naseem Shah has been dropped from the squad.
Pakistan Squad Will Be Further Trimmer Before 1st Test
The Men in Green will gather for a pre-series camp under red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood and NCA coaches. Players who participated in the recently concluded ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup are set to join the camp on October 4.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the squad will be reduced ahead of the first Test in Lahore, with final selections made after the completion of the pre-series training.
"The squad will be further trimmed before the start of the first Test. The players for the pre-series camp will undergo training under red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood and NCA coaches later today till Wednesday, 8 October. The players who featured in the recently concluded ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup will join the squad on 4 October," the statement read.
South Africa, the reigning World Test Championship titleholders, have a formidable pace attack and a good batting lineup. Pakistan will look to begin their WTC campaign strongly, while South Africa aim to demonstrate their superiority in Asian conditions.
Pakistan's squad for South Africa Test series:
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, and Shaheen Afridi.
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Pakistan National Cricket Team PCB Shan Masood Naseem Shah Babar Azam Mohammad Rizwan Shaheen Afridi South Africa National Cricket Team Pakistan vs South Africa South Africa vs PakistanAbout the Author
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