Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Pakistan have omitted leading fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi from their Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa as they look to keep him “physically and mentally fresh” for ICC Champions Trophysaid Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selector Aqib Javed.
Star all-rounder Babar Azam returned to the Test squad after being ruled out for the last two home matches against England, while fast bowler Mohammad Abbas also returned to Pakistan's squads for the Test, One Day International (ODI) and T20 International series called on Wednesday.
“The exclusion of Shaheen Shah Afridi from the Test squad is a strategic decision to ensure that he remains physically and mentally fresh for the Champions Trophy,” Javed said in a statement.
Afridi, ranked second, is the only Pakistani among the top 10 bowlers in the ICC Men's ODI Rankings.
Pacer Nazim Shah, who was also ruled out for the second and third Tests against England, was also named in the 15-man squad.
Abbas has 90 wickets in 25 Test matches but has not played red-ball cricket for Pakistan since 2021. He has been in impressive form of late, picking up 31 wickets in five leading domestic four-day tournament matches.
Khurram Shahzad and left-armer Mir Hamza are the other bowlers named for the Test leg of the tour.
Pakistan begin their tour of South Africa on December 10 with three T20s followed by three ODIs and two Test matches in Centurion and Cape Town.
“We have adopted a horses-for-fields policy to ensure that all three teams are well-balanced and capable of performing strongly in South Africa,” said Javed, who was also appointed interim white-ball coach ahead of Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe.
“Our focus in the ODIs is to continue building momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy, while the T20 series provides a platform to mix experience with emerging talent.”
Non-spinner Sajid Khan has been left out of the Test squad despite taking 19 wickets in the last two Test matches against England in Multan and Rawalpindi.
Noman Ali, who took 20 wickets in those two memorable victories for Pakistan, won the selectors ahead of Sajid. Ali is ranked ninth in the ICC Test bowlers' rankings.
“Relinquishing Sajid Khan, despite his stellar performance against England, was an extremely difficult and difficult decision,” Javed said.
“However, given the pace-friendly conditions in Centurion and in Cape Town, we instead opted for Mohammad Abbas, who is an outstanding seam bowler.”
Former all-forms captain Babar, along with Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha, were named in all three squads.
The selectors have kept faith in youngster Sufiyan Muqeem for T20s and ODIs after the left-armer claimed eight wickets in two T20s against Zimbabwe.
Sufiyan also recorded Best T20 figures in Pakistan by five wickets for three runs in Bulawayo on Tuesday, overcoming Zimbabwe after beating them with their lowest T20 score of 57.
Pakistan Teams to Tour South Africa
Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha.
ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan .
T20s: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Mukim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan .
