Pakistan eye strong start in T20I series against South Africa

Pakistan eye strong start as they will take on South Africa in a three-match T20I series, with the first T20I set to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (tomorrow).

The second and third T20Is will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on October 31 and November 1, respectively.

In all three T20Is, the toss will take place at 7:30pm, with the first ball to be bowled at 8:00pm local time, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a press release on Monday.

The T20Is will be followed by three ODIs, which will be staged at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on November 4, 6 and 8. Before the T20I series, both sides featured in the two-match Test series — part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27, which ended 1-1. The hosts won the first Test by 93 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium, while the tourists fought back to win the second Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium by eight wickets.

In T20Is, both sides have faced each other 24 times, winning 12 each. In three T20Is played in Pakistan, the hosts have won twice, while South Africa have emerged victorious once. For Pakistan, in the current T20I squad, Babar Azam has scored 447 runs in 13 outings against South Africa, while Shaheen Shah Afridi has grabbed 13 wickets in 12 matches.

Pakistan coach backs Babar Azam’s return for South Africa T20Is

Babar, who has featured in 128 T20I matches for Pakistan, requires eight runs to become the leading run-getter in this format in the world.

Talking to PCB Digital, skipper Salman Ali Agha said the Green Shirts had a very interesting and exciting side, with a few comebacks and a few new faces as well. “I am very excited to lead this team and we really hope to have a great series,” he said.

He said they had a great series against Bangladesh at home and he was hopeful for good results in the upcoming series as well. “We just want to execute our plans for a longer period. As I always say, we have a great team, a team that can beat any side. Obviously, South Africa are a very good side; they have a few misses, but still possess very good talent.”

During the first T20I, the Pakistan team will don specially designed pink-themed kits to support PCB’s initiative with Pink Ribbon Pakistan in creating awareness about breast cancer.

On broadcast, cricket fans in Pakistan will be able to watch the series live in high-definition on A Sports and Ten Sports, while live streaming will be available on Tapmad and Tamasha.

Viewers around the world can watch the action live on Willow TV (North America), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa), Dialog TV (Sri Lanka), T Sports (Bangladesh) and Cricbuzz (Middle East and North Africa).

15-member T20I squad:

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper), Usman Tariq

Series schedule:

October 28 – First T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

October 31 – Second T20I at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

November 1 – Third T20I at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

November 4 – First ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

November 6 – Second ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

November 8 – Third ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad