Karachi:
After achieving a clean sweep against South Africa in the ODI series, Pakistan’s focus has now shifted to the Test series, which begins today in Centurion.
According to details, Pakistan’s record in South Africa for Test matches is quite disappointing. The team has played 15 Tests there, winning only two. The last time Pakistan won a Test match in South Africa was 18 years ago. Moreover, the Green Caps have not won a Test match outside Asia since their 2021 tour of the West Indies.
Following their stellar performance in the ODI series, the Pakistani team is high on confidence and aims to carry their limited-overs momentum into the longer format.
The team will be led by Shan Masood, under whose captaincy Pakistan defeated England 2-1 in a home Test series. However, Masood has faced challenges as captain, losing all five matches in his first series against Australia and Bangladesh at home.
The Pakistani Test squad arrived in South Africa on December 13 to acclimatize and prepare for the local conditions.
The squad sees the return of experienced fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who last played a Test match for Pakistan in August 2021 against the West Indies. Abbas earned his spot back after an impressive performance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he took 31 wickets in five matches. Additionally, fast bowler Khurram Shehzad, who missed the home Test series against England due to injury, has also made a comeback.
Aqib Javed is serving as the interim head coach for the Pakistan men’s team. This will be his first red-ball series after taking charge during last month’s white-ball series against Zimbabwe.
Since 1995, Pakistan and South Africa have played 12 Test series. South Africa has won seven, Pakistan two, and three have ended in draws. In their most recent Test series, held in January and February 2021, Pakistan defeated South Africa 2-0.
Pakistan’s Test captain, Shan Masood, expressed his excitement about the challenge ahead, stating, “We are eager to test ourselves against South Africa, a team that has always been among the top in the world. We have gained momentum from the home Test series against England and the recent ODI series, which featured several members of our Test squad. The return of fast bowlers Khurram Shehzad and Mohammad Abbas is a positive development.”
He added, “We are determined to achieve significant success in South Africa, which is considered one of the toughest conditions for visiting teams. While South Africa has performed well in the ICC World Test Championship, we arrived here two weeks early to prepare thoroughly for this series.”
On the other hand, South Africa requires just one more win to secure a spot in the World Test Championship final. The Proteas are optimistic about bouncing back from their humiliating ODI defeat and leveraging their home conditions to succeed in the red-ball series.
