Pakistan has announced the squad for the tour of South Africa for all three formats. Babar Azam is on tour in all three formats. He was left out of the last two Tests against England at home.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, however, is not in the Test squad. However, he is in the ODI and T20 squad. Naseem Shah, who did not get a place in the England Test, has also returned to the Test team.
The two teams will play three ODIs and two Tests along with three T20s in the tour. The series will start with the T20 on December 10.
Pakistan has also surprised in the announcement of the team. Pacer Mohammad Abbas returned to the Test team after three years. His last Test was against West Indies in August 2021. He has played 25 Tests for the team so far. Took 90 wickets.
Noman Ali is the only spinner in the Test squad. Surprisingly, spinner Sajid Khan has been dropped despite his brilliant performance in the England series. Pakistan's coach Aqib Javed explained that, 'Despite his excellent performance against England, the decision to drop Sajid was difficult. Especially considering the pace-friendly wickets at Centurion and Cape Town, we have included Abbas in the team.
Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha are with Babar Azam in all three formats. Wrist spinner Sufyan Mukim has been called up to the ODI team for the first time after showing record skill in T20 against Zimbabwe.
Test Squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Amer Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali
ODI Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saeem Ayyub, Salman Ali, Shaheen Shah, Sufyan Mukeem and Tayyub Tahir .
T20 Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saeem Ayyub, Salman Ali, Shaheen Shah , Sufian Mukim and Taiyab Tahir.
