In-form South Africa take on a new-look Pakistan outfit

Overview

Pakistan v South Africa, 1st Test
National Stadium, Karachi
Tuesday, 26 January to Saturday, 30 January 2021; 10:00am local time, 05:00am GMT

Babar Azam will have the honour of captaining his side for the first time in Test cricket after injury stopped him doing so against New Zealand, and he’ll have the challenge of integrating a number of new faces into the mix.

The world no.6 batter’s return to the middle order provides some much-needed surety for a side that include up to as many as six uncapped players; opening batter Imran Butt, middle-order batter Saud Shakeel, spinners Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan and fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Tabish Khan.

The Proteas will be boosted by the return of Kagiso Rabada with the seamer bearing down on his 200th Test wicket. Rabada will be well-supported by a bowling brigade, including the likes of Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, and Lutho Sipamla, that rolled Sri Lanka for a 2-0 Test series win earlier this year.

Remember the last time:

South Africa hosted Pakistan in a three-match Test series back in 2018-19, with the Proteas performing on home soil for a 3-0 whitewash. The first Test at Centurion saw pace bowler Duanne Olivier claim Player of the Match honours with figures of 6/37 and 5/59, helping South Africa to a six-wicket victory. In Cape Town, Pakistan failed to reach 200 runs in the first innings again with Olivier (4/48), Dale Steyn (3/48), and Kagiso Rabada (2/35) all taking multiple wickets. In reply, a century from Faf du Plessis (103) guided the locals to a total of 431 with the South Africa captain earning Player of the Match following a nine-wicket victory.

The series concluded in Johannesburg with South Africa scoring 262 in the first innings off the back of a solid opening stand from Aiden Markram (90). But Markram’s effort was topped by Quinton de Kock’s 129 off 138 balls in the second innings, his equal Test-best. The Proteas triumphed for 107-run win with Olivier awarded Man of the Series for his 24 wickets at an average of 14.62.

What they said:

Babar Azam, Pakistan captain: "It’s a proud moment for me that I am doing my captaincy debut in my own country. South Africa is a good team. You can’t take them lightly, but conditions suit us more because most of us have played here."

Quinton de Kock, South Africa captain: "I’m sure this Pakistan team is going to be tough. I think our biggest challenge is the conditions that we could face, the unknowing of the things that we have to deal with.”