Opener dropped as Pakistan name playing 11 for SA vs PAK 1st Test 2024

Pakistan have announced the playing XI for the upcoming Boxing Day Test clash against South Africa, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, December 26, at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. The Men in Green have dropped out-of-form opening batter Abdullah Shafique as Babar Azam returns to the mix.

The tweaked batting unit sees skipper Shan Masood opening the innings alongside the in-form Saim Ayub in an all-left-handed combination at the top. Babar Azam and Kamran Ghulam accommodate the next couple of places while Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan complete the batting line-up.

Shan Masood began his Test career as an opener in 2013. He has played 46 innings at the top of the order, scoring 1,304 runs at an average of 28.35. The pressure was mounting on Abdulah Shafique after a disastrous home series against England. He had begun the series with a ton in Multan but recorded only 30 runs in the next five innings.

Kamran Ghulam, on the other hand, had made an instant impression, scoring a ton on his debut after replacing Babar Azam in the middle-order.

With no frontline spinner included, Salman Ali Agha features as the sole spin option. The all-rounder has been in good touch of late and will play a crucial role to add depth and balance to the side.

With bowling spearhead Shaheen Afridi not included in the series, Naseem Shah headlines the four-pronged seam attack for the visitors. He is joined by Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, and Mohammad Abbas as Pakistan does not opt for a versatile option in left-arm pacer Mir Hamza.

This marks Abbas' return to the Test setup after a three-year absence. He last played during the tour of the Caribbean in 2021. The former No. 3 pacer had a meteoric rise in international cricket, bagging 40 wickets across his first seven appearances, boasting an average of 16.63 in 2018. However, he gradually fell down the pecking order.

Pakistan playing XI for first Test against South Africa:

Shan Masood (c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, and Mohammad Abbas.

"We are eagerly looking forward to measure ourselves against South Africa" - Pakistan captain Shan Masood

The build-up for the two-match series has not been ideal for Pakistan as head coach Jason Gillespie resigned after refusing to travel with the team. Former pacer Aaqib Javed has been handed the coaching responsibility on an interim basis for the upcoming series.

The Men in Green are not in contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) final while South Africa need to record one more victory to seal their place at Lord's in June next year.

"We are eagerly looking forward to measure ourselves against South Africa, who have always been one of the top sides in the world. We have got some momentum from the recently concluded home Test series against England and the ODI series, which featured a number of our Test squad members," Pakistan captain Shan Masood said in the pre-match pres conference (via Times of India).

"We know South Africa have done well in this iteration of the ICC World Test Championship but we have prepared for this series in the best possible manner as well after having arrived in the country at least two weeks ago," he added.

South Africa have already named their playing XI for the series opener, with Corbin Borsch set to make his debut. The Proteas are set to step out without a frontline spinner as Keshav Maharaj was dropped.