Pakistan play 11 against South Africa

After a historic 3-0 win in the ODI series, Pakistan they will be looking at a similar performance in the first Test of the two-match series against South Africa. The first test will be played on Thursday (December 26) at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

Pakistan will be high on confidence after a historic 3-0 win in the ODI series. The tour did not start well for Pakistan, as they lost the T20I series 2-0. However, they put up a stunning performance to clinch the ODI series by winning all three matches.

The Mohammad Rizwan-led side started the ODI series with a 3-wicket win. In the second game, the guests recorded an 81-run victory and took an unattainable 2-0 lead in the series.

In the third ODI, Pakistan defeated South Africa by 36 runs (DLS method) to complete the victory. Ahead of the first Test, we look at the Pakistan playing XI.

Pakistan 11 vs South Africa – 1st Test Pakistan Tour of South Africa 2024-25

Openers: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique

Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique are set to be the openers in the Playing 11. Both the openers had very contrasting outings in the recently concluded ODI series.

While Ayub ended the series against the Proteas as the top scorer, Shafique couldn’t even open his account in three games.

Ayub scored two centuries and ended the series with 235 runs. He was also the only batsman to score a century in the series. With form on their side, they will also be eyeing a good outing in the Test series.

Shafique, on the other hand, was dismissed for a duck in all three matches. The spotlight is firmly on the under pressure captain and he will look to hit the ground running in the Tests.

Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Aamer Jamal

Captain Shan Masood will lead the attack with the bat in the middle order. It will be his first international game after the third test against England in October this year. After leading the visitors to a series win over England, Masood will be looking for more success against South Africa.

Babar Azam has not scored a Test century since 2022 and will be desperate to end the drought in the series. He has also looked in good form of late. The former captain scored a fifty in the last two ODIs against South Africa.

Just like Babar, Mohammad Rizwan has also looked good, scoring close to fifty in the last two ODIs.

He will try to get the most out of his form in the Test series. Other players in the middle and lower order will be the likes of Agha Salman, Aamer Jamal and Saud Shakeel.

Salman impressed against South Africa in the ODIs, while Jamal and Shakeel last played for the visitors during the home series against England.

Bowlers: Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali

The visitors are likely to play the Test with two front pacers and one spinner. Naseem Shah and Mohammad Abbas will be the main pacers in Pakistan Playing 11.

Noman Ali, who picked up 20 wickets in 2 Tests against England a few months ago, should lead the spin department. The likes of Salman and Jamal are also handy bowling options.