Pakistan announce their XI for the opening match of the ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to take place in Paarl.
The squad features a mix of experienced players and promising newcomers as the team looks to make a strong start to the series.
The XI has the return of pacer Naseem Shah, who will be joined by spearheads Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi.
Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique will open the batting for the Men in Green.
This series marks Mohammad Rizwan’s third assignment as Pakistan’s ODI captain.
His leadership journey began in November against Australia in a three-match ODI series, where he successfully guided the team to a 2-1 series victory, Pakistan’s first series win on Australian soil in 22 years.
Rizwan’s second assignment was against Zimbabwe, where the Men in Green won 2-1 in a three-match ODI series.
However, the start of the South Africa tour did not go well for Pakistan, with the team losing all three matches of the T20I series 2-0.
In the series opener, South Africa posted a challenging total of 183/9, driven by explosive performances from David Miller and all-rounder George Linde.
Miller was the standout performer, scoring 82 runs off just 40 balls, including four boundaries and eight sixes. Linde also impressed with 48 quick runs off 24 balls, featuring three boundaries and four sixes.
In response, Pakistan could only manage 172/8, with Rizwan top-scoring with 72 runs off 64 balls, including five boundaries and three sixes.
Saim Ayub contributed a quick 31 runs off 15 balls but Pakistan’s middle order collapsed and the team fell short by 11 runs.
In the second T20I, Pakistan posted a competitive 206/5, with Saim Ayub playing a crucial role, scoring an unbeaten 98 off 57 balls, which included eleven boundaries and five sixes.
Irfan Niazi also contributed 30 runs off 16 balls, and Abbas Afridi added 11 runs off four balls.
However, South Africa comfortably chased down the target in 19.3 overs, losing just three wickets.
Reeza Hendricks played a match-winning knock of 117 runs off 63 balls, including seven boundaries and 10 sixes. Rassie van der Dussen remained unbeaten on 66 runs off 38 balls to guide South Africa to victory.
Pakistan playing XI for the first ODI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C/WK), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
