The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named an 18-member squad for the upcoming two-Test match series against South Africa, which forms part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 cycle.
Shan Masood will continue to lead the national side, and the squad features three uncapped players – Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram, and Rohail Nazir. However, the squad will be trimmed before the first Test match begins.
Series Schedule and Venues
The first Test will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from October 12 to 16, while the second Test will be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20 to 24.
Following the Test series, both teams will play three T20 Internationals (T20Is) and three One Day Internationals (ODIs), scheduled between October 28 and November 8.
The squads for the white-ball leg of the tour will be announced later.
Head-to-Head: Pakistan vs South Africa in Test Cricket
Pakistan and South Africa have faced each other in 30 Test matches to date.
South Africa has the upper hand with 17 wins, while Pakistan has won 6 matches, and 7 have ended in draws.
In their last Test encounters, Pakistan secured a 2-0 home series win under Babar Azam in 2020/21. South Africa later avenged the loss by winning a 2-0 series at home against the leadership of Shan Masood.
Batting Records and Key Performers
Jacques Kallis leads the all-time run-scorers in Pakistan vs South Africa Tests with 1,564 runs, including 6 centuries and 8 fifties. He is followed by Graeme Smith with 1,259 runs. Among Pakistani players, Younis Khan tops the chart with 990 runs.
Active players expected to feature prominently in the upcoming series include South Africa’s Aiden Markram (585 runs, 1 century, 4 fifties) and Pakistan’s Babar Azam (536 runs, 6 fifties), Shan Masood (516 runs, 1 century, 3 fifties), and Temba Bavuma (511 runs, 1 century, 3 fifties).
Bowling and All-Round Records
In the bowling department, Dale Steyn leads with 59 wickets in Pakistan vs South Africa Tests, followed by Shaun Pollock (45), Makhaya Ntini (41), Danish Kaneria (36), and Kagiso Rabada (30).
Duanne Olivier, Shaun Pollock, and Steyn have each claimed three five-wicket hauls in these matchups, while Peter de Villiers and Hasan Ali have taken two apiece.
READ: South Africa announces squad for Pakistan tour
Statistical Highlights Pakistan vs South Africa
Jacques Kallis also dominates several other records, including most centuries (6), most fifties-plus scores (14), and most sixes (10) in Tests between the two nations. Younis Khan and AB de Villiers have four centuries each, while Azhar Mahmood has three. In terms of six-hitting, Herschelle Gibbs, Shaun Pollock, and AB de Villiers follow Kallis with 9 sixes each, and Misbah-ul-Haq hit 8.
Danish Kaneria holds the record for most ducks (5) in this fixture, with Umar Gul (4), Shaheen Afridi (3), Anrich Nortje (3), and Dave Richardson (3) close behind. Notably, South Africa has never won a Test in either Lahore or Rawalpindi, drawing one and losing one at each venue.
Pakistan Test Squad against South Africa
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 (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
South Africa Test Squad against Pakistan
Aiden Markram (captain), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj (available from second Test), Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne.
Broadcast Details in Pakistan
Fans in Pakistan can follow the series live on TV through A Sports and Ten Sports, while digital streaming will be available via Tapmad.
