Pakistan Rest Shaheen Afridi, Recall 34-Year-Old Seamer After Three Years For South Africa Tests

On Wednesday (December 4), Pakistan announced their squads for the all-format tour of South Africa starting later this month, which included a recall for a senior paceman after three years out of the side.

Pakistan will take on South Africa in three T20Is, followed by three ODIs and two Tests starting from December 10. The squads for all three formats were announced on Wednesday.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been picked for the ODI and T20I series, but left out of the Test squad. He had been left out of the last two Tests of the home series against England as well, after Pakistan's new selection committee took over. Fellow pacer Naseem Shah and batter Babar Azam had suffered the same fate, but have been recalled here.

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The PCB's media release stated: "Shaheen Shah Afridi, who also missed the last two Tests against England, has been picked for the white-ball matches as part of his workload management so that he is in his best fitness and form for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025."

In a perhaps more surprising turn of events, there is a recall for 34-year-old pace bowler Mohammad Abbas, whose last Test match came three years ago, against West Indies in August 2021. Abbas has played 25 Test matches in all, taking 90 wickets at an average of 23 and economy rate of 2.42.

Since his last Test, Abbas has played 60 first-class matches in England and Pakistan, picking up 223 wickets. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing season of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 31 scalps to his name in five matches. Abbas took 6-39 & 4-35 in his most recent game, for Lahore Blues against FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas).

Noman Ali is the lone spinner in the Test squad, while Sajid Khan missed out. Selection committee member and interim white-ball coach Aqib Javed stated, "Leaving out Sajid Khan, despite his stellar performances against England, was an extremely tough and difficult decision. However, considering the pace-friendly conditions at Centurion and in Cape Town, we opted for Mohammad Abbas instead, who is an outstanding exponent of seam bowling."

Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha are part of all three squads. There is also a maiden ODI call-up for left-arm wrist spinner Sufyan Moqim, who took a record 5-3 in the second T20I against Zimbabwe yesterday.

Pakistan squads for tour of South Africa

Test squad

Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Haseebullah (wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha.

ODI squad

Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Usman Khan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir.

T20I squad

Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Usman Khan (wk), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir.

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