CAPE TOWN: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday made one change to their Playing XI for the second Test against South Africa, with pacer Mir Hamza replacing Naseem Shah.
Pakistan suffered a two-wicket defeat in a thrilling first Test of the two-match series against South Africa at SuperSport Park.
Naseem Shah picked four wickets across two innings in Pakistan’s first Test defeat, resulting in him getting dropped.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Aamir Jamal managed to retain his place despite his struggling performance in the first Test.
He recorded scores of 28 and 18 with the bat. With the ball, he took two wickets in the first innings, however, he bowled only nine overs across two innings.
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Although the pitch at Newlands typically offers favourable conditions for spin bowlers, Pakistan’s management did not consider the inclusion of any specialist spinner in their playing XI.
Noman Ali, a left-arm spinner who made a significant impact by claiming 20 wickets at an impressive average of 13.85 during two Test matches against England in October 2024, will stay on the sidelines.
Instead, all-rounder Agha Salman will continue in his role as the sole spinner.
Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Khurram Shahzad.
South Africa Playing XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka.
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