Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood won the toss at Lahore and chose to bat first on a dry, spin‑friendly wicket. The decision came before the opening match of the two‑game series against South Africa, the current World Test Championship champions, at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
Musawad said “We’ve got two seamers ready for reverse swing, but the surface looks good for spinners, so it makes sense to start the innings.” South Africa captain Aiden Markram showed calm, noting it was an “opportunity for our depth; if a few players miss, the chance to step up is great.” He also praised the team’s training camp in similar conditions.
The pitch’s dryness is expected to help Pakistan’s bowlers after their first innings, while the Pakistani batting lineup has the advantage of beginning on a surface that tends to assist spinners in the early stages of a Test.
Teams selected for the first Test were:
Pakistan (Playing XI)
- Imam‑ul‑Haq
- Abdullah Shafique
- Shan Masood (captain)
- Babar Azam
- Saud Shakeel
- Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
- Salman Agha
- Hasan Ali
- Shaheen Afridi
- Noman Ali
- Sajid Khan
South Africa (Playing XI)
- Tony de Zorzi
- Ryan Rickelton
- Wiaan Mulder
- Aiden Markram (captain)
- Tristan Stubbs
- Dewald Brevis
- Kyle Verreynne (wk)
- Senuran Muthusamy
- Prenelan Subrayen
- Kagiso Rabada
- Simon Harmer
The second leg of the series will finish in Rawalpindi from October 20‑24, giving Pakistan another chance to test its abilities against the defending champions.
Source: aninews
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