Babar and Naseem make a comeback for South Africa Tests, while Afridi misses out

Shaheen Shah Afridi has been omitted from Pakistan's roster for the upcoming two-Test series in South Africa scheduled for December and January. Following his exclusion from the Test squad after Pakistan's loss in the initial Test against England in October, Afridi continues to be included in the white-ball teams for the tour. On the other hand, Babar Azam and Naseem Shah, who were also dropped from the Test squad after the same match, are set to make a comeback to the Test squad for the South Africa series.

Afridi's absence specifically from the Tests, though, appears to signal a point in his career where the red-ball format has become less of a priority than it has before, a state that may even become permanent for him. When he was dropped in October, the belief was that the more pace-friendly surfaces in South Africa, where he played his second and third Test matches five years back, would suit him better as he tries to return to form in the format.

Since returning from a knee injury he picked up during a Test in Sri Lanka in July 2022, Afridi has played just a handful of Tests, and been ineffective while doing so; in six games, he has 17 wickets at an average of 45.47. His omission from these Tests makes it exceedingly unlikely he will win his place back for Pakistan's home Test series against West Indies in January, following which Pakistan have no Test matches at all till October 2025.

Related

CT25: PCB open to hybrid model but wants same for India

When Pakistan turned the land down under upside-down

There's also a return for seamer Mohammad Abbas, who last played Test cricket for Pakistan in 2021. Abbas, whose metronomic accuracy and ability to seam the ball initially saw him come into the Pakistan side when they played their home Tests in the UAE. He is the only fast bowler in the squad who was also in the side for Pakistan's last Test tour to South Africa in 2018-19.

Sajid Khan, meanwhile, has been left out of the travelling party, Alongside Noman Ali, Sajid was instrumental in turning the series against England around when Pakistan rejigged their pitches to suit the spinners, taking 19 wickets across the two Tests. But surfaces in South Africa will be vastly different to those, and Pakistan travel with just the one spinner, and have opted for Noman's left-arm orthodox spin instead.

That means Abrar Ahmed, at the start of this season considered Pakistan's premier Test spinner, has also been omitted.

Khurram Shahzad returns to the Test side for the first time since a recurring rib injury sidelined him following Pakistan's home Tests against Bangladesh in August. Initially, he was thought to be out for just a few days, but it would turn into a much longer absence as he missed the entirety of the England Test series. Since returning at the end of October, though, he has been in sparkling form, taking 13 wickets in two Quaid-e-Azam trophy matches, and a further 15 in three innings against the Sri Lanka A side.

It leaves Pakistan's squad somewhat bereft of high pace, a quality more valuable in South Africa than perhaps anywhere else. Naseem is Pakistan's only true fast bowler for the series, with Aamer Jamal, Shahzad, Abbas and Mir Hamza the others in the squad. This is likely to stand in stark contrast to South Africa's Test squad, which currently possesses a battery of fast bowlers who can push into the high 140s and even beyond.

There's much less flux in Pakistan's white-ball squads, with Pakistan opting to stick largely to the team that played the ODI and T20I series in Australia. Sufiyan Muqeem's bright start in Zimbabwe has seen him rewarded, as he keeps his place for both white-ball teams against South Africa, while Omair Yousuf is part of the T20I squad.

Pakistan play three T20Is and three ODIs in South Africa between December 10 and 22, and two Test matches in Centurion and Cape Town beginning on December 26 and January 7. South Africa is, statistically, Pakistan's least happy hunting ground in Test cricket, where they have won just two Test matches, and never a Test series.

Pakistan squads for South Africa tour

Tests: Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel (vice-capt), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (capt, 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, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan (wk)
T20Is: Mohammad Rizwan (capt, 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, Usman Khan (wk)