There will be competition with Pakistan South Africa In the first match of the three-match T20 series. This article provides details about the Pakistan vs South Africa playing 11 for the first match of the series.
Pakistan Playing XI vs South Africa – 1st T20I, South Africa tour of Pakistan 2025:
Openers: Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan will be looking to make a strong start in the three-match T20I series against South Africa after losing the second Test against the same opponent in Rawalpindi, the same venue which is also going to host the first T20I.
The home team has been boosted by the return of former captain Babar Azam, who has not been a part of Pakistan’s T20I setup for quite some time.
Another major change in the T20I squad is the absence of senior batsman Fakhar Zaman, although he is not a part of the squad for this particular series, but his name is in the list of reserve players.
The Men in Green are expected to start their innings with Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Khan, who were part of the squad at the 2024 T20 World Cup, and will look to put in a strong performance in the series opener against South Africa.
Usman’s opening partner Sahibzada Farhan, who showed good form in the Asia Cup, would also like to continue his good performance in this format.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz.
The opening pair will be followed by a middle order that will be more or less the same as the middle order that featured in the Asia Cup with a few changes, one of the most notable of which is the omission of Mohammad Haris.
They have three experienced players in their middle order in Babar Azam, captain Salman Ali Aga and Mohammad Nawaz, all of whom will have to take responsibility and take the team to a match-winning score while batting first.
Along with this trio, the management will also rely on talented players like Hasan Nawaz and Sam Ayub to make significant contributions.
It will be interesting to see what the Greens decide to do in the first T20I, as they have prioritized depth in the batting department in recent times.
Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Salman Mirza
The host team can field five proper bowlers in place of all-rounders in the first T20 match against South Africa.
Some of the names who are likely to feature in Pakistan’s bowling lineup for the series opener include newly appointed ODI captain Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz.
Apart from these two, we can see Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Salman Miraj as the second and third fast bowlers who will help Shaheen Afridi.
As far as the spin bowling department is concerned, it will have Abrar Ahmed as the second spinner, with Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Aga also lending their hands when needed.
