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LAHORE: Pakistan on Monday named an 18-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against ICC World Test Championship holders South Africa, with uncapped players Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram, and Rohail Nazir earning call-ups.&nbsp;According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shan Masood will continue as Test captain, while red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood will oversee the training camp ahead of the first match, scheduled to begin on October 12 at Lahore&rsquo;s Gaddafi Stadium. The squad will be trimmed before the opening Test. <div class="fr-embed responsive-video"><div class="video-wrapper aspect-video"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1972897984963924030&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=6cdb1328fb38e24c07de98462bc72ed22043ca73&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1972897984963924030" style="width: 550px; height: 878px; min-height: 0px; position: static; visibility: visible;"></iframe></div></div></div>&nbsp;The second match of the series will take place in Rawalpindi from October 20 to 24.&nbsp;Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, former captain Babar Azam, and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi are among the senior players retained from Pakistan&rsquo;s recent Test campaigns.&nbsp;Players returning from the recently concluded ACC Men&rsquo;s T20 Asia Cup will join the red-ball camp on October 4. The training camp will run until October 8.&nbsp;The Test series marks the start of Pakistan&rsquo;s 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship campaign and will be followed by three T20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals, running from October 28 to November 8. The white-ball squad will be announced at a later date.&nbsp;Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.&nbsp;South Africa tour of Pakistan 2025 fixtures:Oct. 12&ndash;16 &ndash; 1st Test, Gaddafi Stadium, LahoreOct. 20&ndash;24 &ndash; 2nd Test, Rawalpindi Cricket StadiumOct. 28 &ndash; 1st T20I, RawalpindiOct. 31 &ndash; 2nd T20I, LahoreNov. 1 &ndash; 3rd T20I, LahoreNov. 4 &ndash; 1st ODI, FaisalabadNov. 6 &ndash; 2nd ODI, FaisalabadNov. 8 &ndash; 3rd ODI, Faisalabad

Cricket

Shan Masood continues as Test captain, while uncapped players Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram, and Rohail Nazir earn call-ups.

Pakistan announce 18-men squad for South Africa Test series

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Pakistan will begin their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign with a two-match home Test series against defending champions South Africa, starting&nbsp;on&nbsp;October 12&nbsp;at Lahore&rsquo;s Gaddafi Stadium.&nbsp;The venue, recently renovated ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, will host its first five-day match since the overhaul, &nbsp;a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) statement said on Saturday.&nbsp; The second Test will be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium&nbsp;from&nbsp;Oct. 20&nbsp;to 24, marking South Africa&rsquo;s first red-ball tour of Pakistan since 2021, when they lost the series 2-0. https://x.com/TheRealPCB/status/1964267756838170990?t=Mzhh6PwtT3k_7braacQ8zg&amp;s=19 The tour will continue with three T20 Internationals&nbsp;from&nbsp;Oct. 28&nbsp;to&nbsp;Nov. 1, split between Rawalpindi and Lahore. It will conclude with a three-match ODI series from&nbsp;Nov. 4&nbsp;to 8 at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad &mdash; the city&rsquo;s first ODI in 17 years. Pakistan last played there in April 2008, defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets.&nbsp;&ldquo;We are looking forward to welcome South Africa for the opening series of our ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign,&rdquo; said PCB Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed Syed. &ldquo;Starting against the current Test champions will provide quality cricket for our players and fans.&rdquo;&nbsp;He added that the return of ODI cricket to Faisalabad is a &ldquo;special moment&rdquo; for the venue, which holds a &ldquo;proud place&rdquo; in Pakistan&rsquo;s cricketing history.&nbsp;South Africa Tour to Pakistan <ul style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt;"><li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; list-style-type:disc;">Oct. 12-16 &ndash; First Test at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore</li><li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; list-style-type:disc;">20-24 October &ndash; Second Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi</li><li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; list-style-type:disc;">Oct. 28 &ndash; First T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi</li><li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; list-style-type:disc;">Oct. 31 &ndash; Second T20I at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore</li><li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; list-style-type:disc;">Nov. 1&nbsp;&ndash; Third T20I at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore</li><li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; list-style-type:disc;">Nov. 4&nbsp;&ndash; First ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad</li><li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; list-style-type:disc;">Nov. 6&nbsp;&ndash; Second ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad</li><li style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background: transparent; margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; list-style-type:disc;">Nov. 8&nbsp;&ndash; Third ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad</li></ul>

The tour includes two Tests, three T20Is, and as many ODIs

Articles tagged with "South Africa tour of Pakistan"

Pakistan announce 18-men squad for South Africa Test series

Pakistan begin WTC campaign against South Africa in October