Babar Azam returns to all-formats as Pakistan announces squads for South Africa tour

Babar Azam returns to all-formats as Pakistan announces squads for South Africa tour

ISLAMABAD , Dec 06 : Nawaz Gohar

Pakistan batsman Babar Azam has returned to all-formats after squads were announced by the Pakistan Men’s selection committee for a month-long tour of South Africa between December 6 and January 7 here on Wednesday.

Pakistan team is due to play three T20Is, three ODIs and two test matches against the Protease under the white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan and red-ball skipper Shan Masood.

The tour will begin with the first T20I in Durban on December 10, followed by the first ODI in Paarl on December 17. The two test matches will be played at Centurion and in Cape Town on December 26 and January 3, respectively.

Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha are the other three players to be part all squads, while Naseem Shah has been selected for the Tests and ODIs.

Mohammad Abbas has been recalled to the test squad for his consistent performances in the County Championship and the on-going Quaid-e-Azam trophy matches,while Shaheen Shah Afridi has been rested again for the test matches and picked for the white-ball matches.

The PCB claims Shaheen has been omitted from the test squad as workload management so that he is in his best fitness and form for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Also returning to the Test side is fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who last played in Jamaica in August 2021. Abbas, who has taken 90 wickets in 25 Tests, had a stellar Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, claiming 31 wickets in five matches.

Naseem Shah has also been named in the four-man pace attack after missing the last two Tests against England.

The 21-year-old, who has played 19 Tests since making his debut in November 2019, has taken four wickets to date for Lahore Whites against Peshawar in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match in Abbottabad.

Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad has also been named in the Test side after claiming 15 wickets for Pakistan Shaheens against Sri Lanka ‘A’ last month. Mir Hamza is the fourth fast bowler in the 15-man Test squad and is presently playing for Peshawar against Lahore Whites in Abbottabad.

However, off-spinner Sajid Khan has missed out on selection despite his 19 wickets against England. The selectors, after taking into consideration the Centurion and Newlands conditions as well as South Africa as the opposition,

have opted for only one specialist spinner in Noman Ali, who took 20 wickets against England and has 67 wickets in 17 Tests.

The left-arm wrist spinner Sufyan Moqim, who has grabbed eight wickets so far in two T20Is in the on-going three-match series against Zimbabwe including five wickets for three runs in the second T20I, has been picked for the ODIs as well.

The T20I squad will depart for South Africa on Friday, December 6, after Thursday’s third T20I against Zimbabwe, while the ODI and Test players will depart for Johannesburg on December 13. Pakistan men’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie will also arrive in on the same day to supervise the pre-Test series camp.

The interim white-ball head coach Aqib Javed, who is also member of the Men’s selection committee, said, ‘We have adopted a horses for courses policy to ensure all three squads are well-balanced and capable of performing strongly in South Africa.’

Defending off-spinner Sajid Khan’s omission and Mohammad Abbas’ inclusion in the test squads, the head coach said leaving out Sajid Khan, despite his stellar performances against England, was an extremely tough and difficult decision.

However, considering the pace-friendly conditions at Centurion and in Cape Town, we opted for Mohammad Abbas instead, who is an outstanding exponent of seam bowling.

On Shaheen Afridi, he said Shaheen Shah Afridi’s exclusion from the Test squad is a strategic decision to ensure he remains physically and mentally fresh for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Regarding opening batsman Fakhar Zaman’s absence from the white-ball squads, he said Fakhar Zaman was not considered as he is yet to regain form and match fitness.

Aqib Javed said that the selection committee has focused on consistency and progression, adding that their aim is to maintain consistency in ODI selections as part of our ICC Champions Trophy 2025 preparations,

while also giving emerging talent opportunities in T20Is alongside experienced players. “Our focus in ODIs is to continue building momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy, while the T20I series provides a platform to blend experience with emerging talent.”

About the red-ball squad, he said the selection committee has focused on assembling a squad that can adapt to challenging conditions and consistently compete at the highest level. “The Test series against South Africa will be highly competitive, but we are confident in our team’s ability to secure a historic series win.”

Pakistan squads for South Africa tour:

Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha

ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wk)

T20Is: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wk), 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, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wk)

Tour schedule:
10 Dec – First T20I, Durban
13 Dec – Second T20I, Centurion
14 Dec – Third T20I, Johannesburg
17 Dec – First ODI, Paarl
19 Dec – Second ODI, Cape Town
22 Dec – Third ODI, Johannesburg
26-30 Dec – First Test, Centurion
3-7 Jan – Second Test, Cape Town