LAHORE: Pakistan on Monday named an 18-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against ICC World Test Championship holders South Africa, with uncapped players Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram, and Rohail Nazir earning call-ups.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shan Masood will continue as Test captain, while red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood will oversee the training camp ahead of the first match, scheduled to begin on October 12 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. The squad will be trimmed before the opening Test.

The second match of the series will take place in Rawalpindi from October 20 to 24.

Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, former captain Babar Azam, and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi are among the senior players retained from Pakistan’s recent Test campaigns.

Players returning from the recently concluded ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup will join the red-ball camp on October 4. The training camp will run until October 8.

The Test series marks the start of Pakistan’s 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship campaign and will be followed by three T20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals, running from October 28 to November 8. The white-ball squad will be announced at a later date.

Pakistan squad:
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 (wk), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

South Africa tour of Pakistan 2025 fixtures:

Oct. 12–16 – 1st Test, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Oct. 20–24 – 2nd Test, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

Oct. 28 – 1st T20I, Rawalpindi

Oct. 31 – 2nd T20I, Lahore

Nov. 1 – 3rd T20I, Lahore

Nov. 4 – 1st ODI, Faisalabad

Nov. 6 – 2nd ODI, Faisalabad

Nov. 8 – 3rd ODI, Faisalabad

Articles tagged with "Faisal Akram"

Pakistan announce 18-men squad for South Africa Test series