Pakistan, South Africa embark on all-format challenge

RNN Staff

Dec 10, 2024 - 17:08

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1. Pakistan have won last two bilateral T20I series against South Africa

Durban: Pakistan and South Africa are set to clash in an all-format series for the first time since 2019, with the opening match of the three-match T20I series taking place on Tuesday at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.

The second and third T20Is will follow on December 13 and 14 at SuperSport Park in Centurion and The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, respectively.

The teams will then transition to the ODI format, with matches scheduled for December 17, 19, and 22, before a Test series begins in Centurion on December 26, followed by the second Test in Cape Town from January 3.

Pakistan’s white-ball squad, captained by Mohammad Rizwan, arrived in Durban on Friday and has since participated in two training sessions, as confirmed by a press release on Monday.

The T20I squad, which was announced on December 4, sees the return of star batter Babar Azam, pacers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who missed the recent Zimbabwe series. The squad also includes left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, who impressed with five wickets for just three runs in the second T20I against Zimbabwe.

Rizwan remarked, "We’ve been on the road since last month, and this is our third consecutive overseas tour, which has made us more proactive in adapting to local conditions quickly."

He added, "The return of Babar, Naseem, and Shaheen is a huge boost for the team, and with a good mix of youth and experience, we aim to perform well in this T20I series before shifting our focus to the other formats."

Discussing the challenging South African conditions, Rizwan noted that while the wickets will test the team, the pacers are expected to benefit. "We are eager to continue the momentum from our recent series win in Zimbabwe," he said.

Pakistan is coming off a successful white-ball tour of Zimbabwe, where they won both the ODI and T20 series. Prior to that, they toured Australia, where they lost all three T20 matches but won the ODI series 2-1.

Meanwhile, South Africa's Test squad has been competing against Sri Lanka in Gqeberha, while a separate group of players has been preparing for the T20 series in Pretoria. The T20 squad, led by Heinrich Klaasen, arrived in Durban on Sunday, just a day after South Africa secured a Test win in Gqeberha.

Only Ryan Rickelton from the current Test squad is set to play in the T20 series. However, key white-ball players like Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Kagiso Rabada, and Marco Jansen could join the full-strength team.

South Africa’s white-ball coach, Rob Walter, has also called up fast bowler Anrich Nortje and left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi for the T20 series. Both players were standout performers in South Africa’s T20 World Cup campaign, helping the team reach the final. However, they have opted out of national contracts to participate in franchise tournaments globally.

Despite their success in the World Cup, Walter faces pressure due to South Africa's poor record in bilateral series, having lost five and drawn two of seven, often missing key players from the squad.

Pakistan has won the last two bilateral T20I series between the two teams, defeating South Africa 2-1 in February 2021 and 3-1 in April 2021.

Pakistan T20I Squad:
Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wicketkeeper), 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, Sufiyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper).

South Africa T20I Squad:
Heinrich Klaasen (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Simelane, Rassie van der Dussen.

Pakistan's Tour of South Africa Schedule: