PCB Announces 17-Member Squad: Pakistan vs South Africa

The Pakistan Cricket Board PCB finally announced the 17-member squad for the first test match against South Africa. The test match supposed to begin on January 26th will be held in Karachi.

This is a historic occasion for Pakistan Cricket as they will host South Africa for the first time since 2007.

PCB has appointed Babar Azam as the Test Captain. Regular skipper Babar Azam missed out on the New Zealand Test series due to injury. He will bolster the middle-order which consists of the veteran duo of Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam.

Abid Ali, who retained the place of the axed opener Shan Masood, looks set to open the innings with uncapped opener Imran Bhatt.

Sarfaraz Ahmed named as the backup for regular keeper Mohammad Rizwan. He is Pakistan’s best batsman in New Zealand, registering three half-centuries in four innings.

All-rounder Hassan Ali has made a return to the national set-up. He recently proved his fitness and form in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Yasir Shah will lead the spin bowling department alongside Nauman Ali and Saud Shakeel.

The two-match Test series will kickstart at the National Stadium in Karachi from January 26. The second and final Test will take place in Rawalpindi from February 04. Both Tests will be a part of the ICC Test Championship. However, both sides are all but out from the contention of making it to the top-2.

Members selected by PCB

As a result, PCB selected the following players:-

Openers: Abid Ali and Imran Butt

Middle-order batsmen: Azhar Ali,  Babar Azam, Fawad Alam and Saud Shakeel

All-rounders: Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz

Wicketkeepers: Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed

Spinners: Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan and Yasir Shah

Fast bowlers: Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Tabish Khan