The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named the squads for the South Africa tour, which would feature all three formats. Shaheen Afridi is out of the Test team, and Shan Masood will head the red-ball team. Babar Azam is in all squads. Rizwan will lead the ODI and T20I teams.
Pakistan will prepare for the Champions Trophy 2025 in South Africa after a 2-1 ODI series win over Zimbabwe and a 2-0 T20I lead. Match practice on the South Africa tour will help the team improve combinations and prepare for future difficulties.
Shaheen was left out of the Test squad after missing the past two against England. Selectors may have made the move to minimise his workload before the Champions Trophy. He joins white-ball squads to stay fresh and motivated for the future. After performing well in domestic cricket, fast bowler Mohammad Abbas returns to the Test team, and T20I star Sufyan Moqim makes his ODI debut.
Given Centurion and Newlands conditions, the selectors chose Noman Ali over Sajid Khan for the Test series. T20I players will leave for South Africa on December 6, ODI and Test players on December 13.
Interim white-ball coach Aqib Javed said the lineups were balanced to feature experienced and young players and generate momentum for the Champions Trophy.
