South Africa Opt To Bowl First Against Pakistan In Boxing Day Test Today
Abdullah Hussain (@Abdulla99267510) Published December 26, 2024 | 12:50 PM
Match is being played at SuperSport Park in Centurion amid high hopes from both sides
CENTURION: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Dec 26th, 2024) South Africa opted to bowl first against Pakistan on Day 1 of Boxing Day Test on Thursday (today).
The match is being played at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday.
The both sides are quite determined to show amazing performance in the first Test clash.
In their ongoing all-format tour to South Africa, Pakistan lost the three-match T20I series 2-0 while came back to inflict a historic 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series. The Test series, part of the ICC World Test Championship, is expected to be highly competitive as well.
Members of the Pakistan’s Test squad reached South Africa on 13 December in order to prepare well and acclimatise with the local conditions. The Test squad has seen return of the experienced fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who last played for Pakistan against West Indies in August 2021. He has forced his way back in the squad with 31 scalps in five Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches this season.
Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad, who was ruled out of the three-match home Test series against England due to injury has returned to the squad too.
Aqib Javed is the interim head coach of Pakistan men’s team and this will be his first red-ball series after taking the charge in the white-ball series against Zimbabwe last month.
Pakistan and South Africa have played each other in 12 Test series since 1995, out of which seven have been won by South Africa while Pakistan emerged victorious in two, while three ended-up as draws. In the recent most Test series between the two nations, Pakistan beat South Africa 2-0 at home in Jan-Feb 2021.
Squads:
Pakistan XI: Shan Masood (capt), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas
South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch
