Pakistan announces 18-Man squad for South Africa test clash

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has officially announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against the reigning ICC World Test Champions, South Africa. The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.

The first Test will take place at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, from October 12 to 16. The second Test is scheduled at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20 to 24.

Following the Test matches, Pakistan and South Africa will face each other in a limited-overs series comprising three T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals from October 28 to November 8. The white-ball squad for this series will be announced in due course.

The national team will be captained by Shan Masood, who continues to lead the side. The squad features three newcomers set to make their Test debuts: spinner Asif Afridi, young left-arm spinner Faisal Akram, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nazir.

Squad List:

Batsmen: Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafiq, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Kamran Ghulam

Wicketkeepers: Mohammad Rizwan, Rohail Nazir (new)

All-rounders: Aamer Jamal, Hasan Ali

Fast Bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Khurram Shehzad

Spinners: Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi (new), Faisal Akram (new)

1️⃣8️⃣-member Pakistan squad announced for two-match Test series against South Africa 🏏

More details ➡️ https://t.co/f62Fz4zuZc#PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/1goXoP7okP

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 30, 2025

The squad will begin a training camp today under the guidance of head coach Azhar Mahmood and National Cricket Academy (NCA) coaches. The camp will run until October 8, with players involved in the Asia Cup joining on October 4.

This highly anticipated Test series against a strong South African side presents a significant challenge for Pakistan. The team aims to capitalize on familiar home conditions to improve their performance and achieve a positive outcome.