The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed an 18-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa at home. Veteran batter Shan Masood will captain the team in their inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 series, while pacer Shaheen Afridi has been reinstated in the squad.
Saim Ayub has lost his place in the Test squad after a horrid run in the Asia Cup 2025. Ayub, who was a regular part of the Test side before his ankle injury earlier this year, was not named in Pakistan’s extended 18-member Test squad.
The snub comes after Saim had a torrid time in the Asia Cup 2025. Out of the seven matches that he played in the tournament, Ayub scored ducks in four of them. The left-hander’s top performance came against India in the Super 4 fixture, where he scored 21 runs in a losing cause.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan remain pivotal to the team’s strategy, while Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq are expected to open the batting. Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, and Kamran Ghulam will add further strength to the batting order.
Three uncapped players have been included in the senior team: left-arm spinner Asif Afridi, wrist-spinner Faisal Akram, and wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir. Afridi and Akram will join Abrar Ahmed, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali in the spin department. Notably, Naseem Shah has been omitted from the squad.
South Africa is scheduled to visit Pakistan in October and November for a series that includes all formats. The tour will kick off with a two-match Test series, with the first Test set to take place at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from October 12 to 16, followed by the second Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20 to 24. After the red-ball matches, the tour will proceed with three T20Is and three ODIs from October 28 to November 8. The squad for the upcoming white-ball series will be announced at a later date.
