Tag: South Africa

LAHORE: Pakistan interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood has thrown his weight behind the inclusion of 38-year-old spinner Asif Afridi in the squad for the South Africa series. 

Pakistan’s interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood has thrown his weight behind the inclusion of 38-year-old left-arm spinner Asif Afridi in the squad for the South Africa series.

Initially, Pakistan named an 18-member squad for the two-match Test series, including three uncapped players, Rohail Nazir, Faisal Akram, and Asif Afridi. However, the team was trimmed to 16, releasing Aamir Jamal and Faisal Akram.

Notably, the question arose on Asif’s inclusion in the squad, with critics citing his age.

Asif Afridi topped the bowling chart in the recently concluded Hanif Mohammad Trophy, where he picked up 33 wickets in just five matches at an impressive average of 12.55 including five three wicket hauls.

Azhar, addressing the media, dismissed the notion of the spinner being an outlier in the squad, citing his past two years’ performances.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“He is part of our squad, and he is not selected just to do nets. I don’t know who is objecting,” he said when asked about Asif Afridi’s inclusion.

“If you look back at his performances over the past two years — he took 53 wickets last year and 27 this year, making it  80 in total. I don’t understand what the objection is about. Obviously if  someone points out his age, then ‘age is just a number’,” he continued.

He also mentioned South Africa’s 36-year-old Simon Harmer, emphasizing his 20 wickets in a Test match, alongside mentioning concussion protocols.

“South Africa has also included Simon Harmer, who is 37 or 38 years old. You need to consider how you will take 20 wickets and who’s capable of doing that. We wanted experience, and keeping concussion protocol in mind, you have to see who can provide that option.

Azhar lauded Asif Afridi’s bowling and concluded with best wishes for the bowler. “He is a wonderful bowler and have a bright future.”

The first Test between Pakistan and South Africa will begin on October 12 at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

READ: Mitchell Starc to join Babar Azam at Sydney Sixers for BBL 15

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday, announced the star-studded commentary panel for the upcoming series between Pakistan and South Africa.

Former Proteas all-rounder Shaun Pollock will return to Pakistan and will join former Pakistan Test captains Aamir Sohail, Ramiz Raja, Waqar Younis, and former Test cricketer Bazid Khan in the commentary panel.

Zainab Abbas will provide viewers with expert analysis during pre- and post-match shows on PCB’s PitchSide Studio.

Aamir Sohail and Ramiz Raja will be joined by former Pakistan women’s team captain Urooj Mumtaz for the three-match T20I series to be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore, followed by three ODIs to be staged at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

JP Duminy and Vernon Philander will give their voice behind the mic during the white-ball series set to take place from 28 October to 8 November.

Meanwhile, Zainab Abbas will continue to work as a presenter during the white-ball series.

Cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to witness the action of the series in high-definition on A Sports and Ten Sports; while livestreaming for viewers in Pakistan will be available on Tapmad and Tamasha.

The first Test between South Africa and Pakistan will commence on October 12 at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

South Africa’s Test Squad

Aiden Markram (c), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj (second Test only), Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, and Kyle Verreynne.

Pakistan Squad

Shan Masood (capt), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi

READ: Asian Cup Qualifiers: Afghanistan team arrives in Pakistan after visa issues resolved

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Imran Farhat as batting coach of the national team for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, set to begin on October 12 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Former spinner Abdur Rehman has been appointed as the spin bowling coach, whereas Azhar Mehmood will serve as the red-ball coach.

The series will kick off the World Test Championship (WTC) for both teams, with the Proteas beginning their WTC title defence.

The first Test will be played at Gaddafi Stadium from October 12 to 16, followed by the second Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20 to 24.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Earlier, the first batch of South Africa arrived here in the wee hours. Meanwhile, the second batch is yet to come in Pakistan.

Team management:

Azhar Mehmood (head coach), Naveed Akram Cheema (team manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Abdul Rehman (spin bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Talha Butt (performance analyst), Grant Luden (strength and conditioning coach), Syed Naeem Gillani (media manager), Irtaza Komail (team security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor) and Mohammad Ehsan (masseur)

Pakistan vs South Africa fixtures

Oct 12-16: 1st Test, Lahore
Oct 20-24: 2nd Test, Rawalpindi
Oct 28: 1st T20I, Rawalpindi
Oct 31: 2nd T20I, Lahore
Nov 1: 3rd T20I, Lahore
Nov 4: 1st ODI, Faisalabad
Nov 6: 2nd ODI, Faisalabad
Nov 8: 3rd OD, Faisalabad

READ: BCCI responds to call for scrapping India-Pakistan matches

LAHORE: The tickets for the two-Test match series between Pakistan and South Africa will go on sale later today from 5pm.

The online tickets will be available on PCB’s website, while physical tickets for the Test matches will be available at TCS Express Centres from Thursday, October 8.

The first Test will be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from 12 to 16 October, while the second Test will take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 20 to 24 October. Both Test matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27.

Tickets for six white-ball matches (three T20Is and three ODIs) will go on sale online and be available at TCS Express Centres from October 16.

To facilitate fans, the entrance for all five days for the first Test at General (Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Ahmed), First-Class (A.H.Kardar, Abdul Qadir, Sarfraz Nawaz, Javed Miandad), Premium (Rajas, Saeed Anwar), and VIP (Imran Khan, Fazal Mahmood) enclosures will be free.

The VIP enclosure (Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram) at Iqbal End, formerly known as Far-End, will be priced at PKR 800 to 1,000, while the VIP enclosure (Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas) at Jinnah End, formerly known as Pavilion End, will also be available to fans from PKR 800 to PKR 1,000.

The Gallery (Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis) at the Iqbal End will be available to fans from PKR 800 to PKR 1,000.

For second Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the fans can witness the action on all five days for free from General (Miran Bakhsh, Sohail Tanvir), First-Class (Shoaib Akhtar, Yasir Arafat), Premium (Azhar Mahmood, Javed Miandad) and VIP (Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar) enclosures.

The tickets for PCB Gallery located at the main building will be available to fans at PKR 800 for the first four days of the Test match, while on the fifth day, they will be available at PKR 1,000.

The Platinum Box per seat for the first four days will be available at PKR 8,000, while the ticket for the fifth day will cost a spectator at PKR 10,000.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

For the first T20I to take place on Tuesday, 28 October at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, General tickets will be available to fans at PKR 400, First-Class enclosure tickets will be available from PKR 600.

The tickets for Premium and VIP enclosures will be available at PKR 700 and 800, respectively. Furthermore, the tickets for PCB Gallery and Platinum Box per seat will be available at PKR 1,500 and PKR 15,000, respectively.

For the second and third T20I to take place at Gaddafi Stadium on 31 October and 1 November, the General enclosure tickets will be available at PKR 400.

The First-Class tickets will be available at PKR 600, while Premium and VIP enclosure tickets will be available at PKR 700 and PKR 800, respectively.

The VIP enclosure located at Iqbal End will be available for fans at PKR 1,500, while VIP enclosures (Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas) at Jinnah End will be available to fans from PKR 2,000. The VIP Gallery (Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis) will be available to fans at PKR 2,500.

For the three ODIs to take place at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on 4, 6 and 8 November, the fans can purchase General (Zaheer Abbas, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shahid Nazir) enclosure tickets at PKR 400.

The First-Class (Hanif Mohammad, Taslim Arif, Ijaz Junior) enclosures tickets will be available at PKR 600, while VIP (Javed Miandad, Fazal Mahmood) enclosures will be available at PKR 800.

The tickets for VIP Ground Floor (Imran Khan, A.H. Kardar) enclosures will be available at PKR 3,000. Hospitality boxes for the series are also available for sale. For more information, contact the PCB head office.

READ: Akram, Jamal released from Pakistan squad for South Africa series

South Africa stand-in skipper Aiden Markram has backed Dewald Brevis as a game-changer on spin-friendly pitches during the Pakistan tour.

Speaking ahead of the team’s departure, Markram pointed out Brevis’ aggressive gameplay and stated that he could change the course of the game in quick time.

Proteas will be without their ace batter, Temba Bavuma, for the first tour of Pakistan since 202`1. Bavuma suffered a calf strain and was eventually ruled out of the tour.

“He’d definitely be an option, especially with the way he plays spin,” Markram said of Brevis.

Dewald Brevis has played two Tests so far and has already caught the eye with his power hitting in T20I cricket.

“If the conditions are going to be exaggerated, he can quickly change the momentum of the game, doing what he does and playing the way he does. He’ll be a definite consideration, ” he remarked.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Regarding extreme spin conditions, he emphasized home advantage and deemed the exaggerated pitches as challenging for both teams.

“If it’s your home game, you can pretty much prepare whatever wicket you’d like to prepare. That’s how I see it. Ultimately, if it’s going to be extreme like it was in the English series, then it’s going to be difficult for both teams from a batting point of view.

For us as a squad, we’ve just got to be happy with what we have, whatever the conditions look like, and to back whoever it is on the day to get the job done. So I’m not too fussed by it,” he continued.

South Africa have also picked a spin-heavy squad with an ample variety in their lineups. Notably, Simon Harmer is vastly experienced and has 987 first-class scalps along with 39 in Test cricket.

“They’re all quite different. If you look at the two off-spinners to start with, Simon and Subs [Prenelan Subrayen], especially having faced them now, where it is spinning, it’s two completely different challenges they throw at you. That’s something great to have as a squad,”

“You don’t really want similar types of spinners. They are each quite different, different paces, different types of spin in terms of side spin and overspin and stuff like that, which reacts differently off the wickets. They’ll play a massive role for us there if what we’re expecting is going to be the case,” he concluded.

The first Test will begin on October 12 at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

South Africa squad for Pakistan Tests

Aiden Markram (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj (second Test only), Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne

READ: Clinical South Africa outplay New Zealand in Women’s World Cup clash

INDORE: Nonkululeko Mlaba’s four-fer followed by a Tazmin Brits sublime century powered South Africa to a resounding six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the seventh fixture of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 here at the Holkar Stadium on Monday.

Set 232, South Africa comfortably knocked off the winning runs on the loss of four wickets with 55 balls to spare.

After losing skipper Laura Wolvaardt (14 from 10) on the last ball of the third over, Tazmin Brits and Sune Luus forged a monumental 159-run stand, which threw New Zealand out of the game.

Tazmin Brits went on to score his maiden ton in the World Cup, whereas Sune Luus remained unbeaten, ensuring that the Proteas crossed the finishing line to get off the mark on the points table.

Brits made 101 from just 89 balls peppered with 15 fours and a six, whereas Luss made 83* from 110 deliveries, which was laced with 10 fours and a six.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

For New Zealand, Amelia Kerr was the only silver lining in the bowling as she picked up two wickets in her quota of ten overs.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, the Blackcaps were bundled out for 231 in 47.5 overs.

New Zealand struggled to get going and lost wickets at key intervals. The highlight of their batting was an 86-run partnership between Sophie Devine and Brooke Halliday for the fifth wicket.

However, once the stand culminated, South Africa took control of the game and never allowed New Zealand to post a formidable total.

Devine made 85 from 98, studded with nine fours, whereas Halliday, briskly 37 from 45 balls, was laced with six boundaries.

Nonkululeko Mlaba remained the standout bowler for South Africa, picking up a four-wicket haul. Ayabonga Khaka and Chloe Tryon supported her well with one wicket each.

READ: Asad Shafiq urges school, colleges to invest in sports

LAHORE: All-rounder Aamir Jamal and uncapped left-arm wrist spinner Faisal Akram have been released from Pakistan’s expanded Test squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa.

On 30 September, an 18-member squad was announced for the series, and it was indicated that it would be trimmed ahead of the first Test.

Aamir has played eight Tests for Pakistan, while Faisal is yet to make his debut.

The opening Test of the series, scheduled to begin on October 12, will mark the start of the World Test Championship (WTC) campaign for both teams.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

South Africa will enter the field as the defending champions, having defeated Australia earlier this year, while Pakistan will look to start the series on a strong note, after finishing at the bottom in the previous cycle.

Notably, this will be the Proteas’ first tour of Pakistan since January 2021, when they faced a 2-0 defeat.

Shan Masood will continue to captain Pakistan with an experienced batting order shaping the lineup of the home team.

LAHORE: Pakistan ace batter Babar Azam is set to play for Lahore Whites in the country’s premier first-class tournament, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa.

This will be Babar’s first appearance in the tournament since the 2019 final between Northern and Central Punjab.

At that time, Babar was the captain of Central Punjab and led his team to a title with an innings and 16-run victory.

His inclusion came at a time when Pakistan is set to play two Test matches against South Africa, which will begin on October 12 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Notably, Wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Ali, and Sajid Khan are also set to represent their respective regions in the tournament on the directives of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Mohammad Rizwan and Sajid Khan will represent Peshawar Region in the 10-team tournament, while Salman Ali Agha and Hasan Ali will play for Sialkot and Lahore Whites, respectively.

The opening round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy ends on October 9, two days before the Test series begins at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The 10-team tournament will be played across four cities: Abbottabad, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi.

Lahore Whites

Saad Naseem (captain), Abid Ali, Ahmad Bashir, Ali Zaryab Asif, Attyab Ahmed, Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Hussain Talat, Junaid Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rameez Jnr, Mohammad Salman, Naseem Shah, Tayyab Tahir, Ubaid Shah (U21) and Umar Siddiq (Guest Player)

National Duty: Aamir Jamal, Babar Azam, and Salman Ali Agha

Quaid Azam Trophy Teams

Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, FATA, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi Blues, Lahore Whites, Multan, Peshawar, and Sialkot.

Hanif Mohammad Trophy Qualifying Teams

FATA, Faisalabad, Karachi Blues, Multan

First round fixtures

6-9 October

Abbottabad v Bahawalpur at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium

Lahore Whites v Islamabad at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Peshawar v Sialkot at Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar

FATA v Multan at Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad

Faisalabad v Karachi Blues at Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad

READ: Ahmed Shehzad urges Saim Ayub to learn ‘art of batting’ amid poor form

LAHORE: Wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan is among the four players from Pakistan’s 18-member squad who are set to feature in the opening round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) ahead of the first Test against South Africa.

According to the reports, the four players are being provided with the opportunity to sharpen their skills by featuring in the opening round of the country’s premier first-class tournament.

Besides Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Ali, and Sajid Khan are the other players who will represent their regions in the tournament on the directives of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

As per the reports, Mohammad Rizwan and Sajid Khan will represent Peshawar Region in the 10-team tournament, while Salman Ali Agha and Hasan Ali will play for Sialkot and Lahore Whites, respectively.

The opening round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy ends on October 9, two days before the Test series begins at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The 10-team tournament will be played across four cities: Abbottabad, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi.

Quaid Azam Trophy Teams

Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, FATA, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi Blues, Lahore Whites, Multan, Peshawar, and Sialkot.

Hanif Mohammad Trophy Qualifying Teams

FATA, Faisalabad, Karachi Blues, Multan

First round fixtures

6-9 October

Abbottabad v Bahawalpur at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium

Lahore Whites v Islamabad at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Peshawar v Sialkot at Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar

FATA v Multan at Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad

Faisalabad v Karachi Blues at Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad

READ: Rashid Khan dismisses ‘second-best in Asia’ tag, stresses hunger to improve

LAHORE: The Pakistan Test squad for the forthcoming series against South Africa participated in a scenario-based two-day practice match during their ongoing training camp at Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.

The scenario-based match aims to enhance players’ skills according to the Test format. After four days of practice, national players will rest tomorrow.

The training camp, which commenced on September 30, will continue till October 8.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The two-match series against South Africa will commence from October 12 in Lahore, which is expected to be a spinner’s paradise. The series will also mark the start of the ICC Test Championship cycle for Pakistan against the defending champions, South Africa.

Reports suggested that conditions have been designed to favor spinners, with the touring Proteas expected to face a stern test of their batting technique.

For the unversed, this will be South Africa’s first red-ball assignment in Pakistan since January 2021, when they lost 2-0 to the hosts.

South Africa squad: