The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has now released the finalized squads heading to South Africa, mixing both seasoned cricketers as well as junior talents. The selections have, indeed, started wide discussions among cricket enthusiasts, whether fair or unfair considering the number of inclusions and omissions.
So, just looking into the dates, Pakistan is scheduled to tour, it’s a long tour stretching from December 10 to January 7. There would be three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests. However, some decisions made in the squad list for each format have sparked debate among fans about the merit of such logic.
It is important, though, and quite interestingly, he has already become one of the most talked-about exclusions as not having match fitness sufficed as a reason for this decision. This signals to the selectors that they gravitate toward fitter men while slowly forming the squad for the various tournaments, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With Saim Ayub growing impressively as of late, there may be an end to Fakhar’s glory days.
In a clear attempt at managing his workload, Shaheen has been kept out of the Test squad. Along with this tour, he will be used in the white-ball formats only as far as keeping him physically and mentally fresh for some of the big events, most notably the Champions Trophy, are concerned. This statement raises many concerns regarding the strength of the bowling attack for Pakistan in the longer format.
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Another shocking omission is that of off-spinner Sajid Khan, who did pretty well against England but was picked up this time not in the Test squad. Despite all these laurels, however, the selectors went for left-arm spinner Noman Ali citing pace-friendly conditions in South Africa. Reactions to this have been pretty varied, with a growing number of people believing Sajid should have been given an opportunity.
His debut rejoining in the Test squad, a surprise beyond measure, comes in the form of Mohammad Abbas. The pacer has made his compelling case for the recall after seeing off the domestic circuit and boasts a tally of 90 wickets over 25 Tests as he is going to be an asset in South Africa, where conditions favor seam more than any other format. The left-arm wrist-spinner Sufyan Muqeem has been handed his maiden ODI call-up to firmly establish himself in the future of Pakistan cricket.
This Afghanistan tour will prove these selections because the Test matches are played under highly bouncy and seaming tracks. What an ODI, and T20 squad are looking good for, a Test team is highly likely to face scrutiny as one of the most brutal battlefields in cricket without a frontline pacer or even a seasoned spinner like Sajid Khan.