Pakistan have opted for a batting-heavy lineup for the opening game, with Haris Rauf left out of the squad. Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Talat have been included, while Shaheen Afridi will spearhead the bowling attack alongside Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed.
Playing XIs:
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke (c), Sinethemba Qeshile, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed
Captains’ insights:
Shaheen Afridi explained, “We will bowl first. It’s fresh (wicket), and it has been a long time since an ODI was played here. It’s a good opportunity and responsibility, I will try to enjoy and give confidence to the players. Everyone is looking forward to the series.”
South Africa captain Matthew Breetzke noted, “Looks a bit dry and we have heard that the dew comes in later. So, we will have to assess in the first 10 overs. Taken a lot of lessons from the T20Is but we have done well in this format in the past few months. We have three debuts.”
Why Haris Rauf is missing:
Haris Rauf has struggled in 2025, claiming only six wickets across five matches at an average of 45.17, conceding 6.25 runs per over. His inconsistent form appears to have led Pakistan’s selectors to prefer Naseem Shah as the second pacer. Meanwhile, the omission of Faheem Ashraf limits Pakistan’s pure bowling options to four, though Saim Ayub and Salman Agha can contribute with off-spin if required.
