Pretoria (Web Desk): South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first in the opening Test of their two-match series against Pakistan at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Captain Temba Bavuma expressed that it was a tough call but the decision to go with the new ball was driven by the favorable conditions for seam movement on the pitch.
The home team, aiming for a spot in next year’s World Test Championship final, knows they must win at least one of the Tests against Pakistan to stay in contention.
The South African team will feature a fresh face in fast bowler Corbin Bosch, who makes his debut in an all-pace attack that also includes Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, and Dane Paterson.
Bosch has been called up due to an injury crisis in the fast bowling department. Pakistan, meanwhile, has also opted for a pace-heavy strategy, selecting Mohammad Abbas, Aamer Jamal, Naseem Shah, and Khurram Shahzad, with no specialist spinner in their ranks.
Abbas makes his return to Test cricket after three years, while Naseem comes back to the fold after being dropped for the series against England in October. Shahzad, sidelined by injury, is also back in the squad.
Bavuma reflected on previous successful seam bowling strategies at Centurion, noting that the pitch doesn’t offer much for spinners. Pakistan’s captain Shan Masood agreed, highlighting the conditions' preference for fast bowlers.
However, he added that the pitch also provides ample run-scoring opportunities, so Pakistan will need to be strategic with their shot selection and aim for a solid total in the first innings.
Babar Azam, who was also dropped for the recent home series against England, makes his return to the side and will open the batting alongside the in-form Saim Ayub, who was instrumental in Pakistan's 3-0 one day international (ODI) series victory over South Africa last week, scoring two centuries.
With both sides relying on their pace bowlers, the first Test is set to be a thrilling encounter, where early breakthroughs could determine the momentum of the match.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Shan Masood (capt), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch
