Key points
- South Africa lead head-to-head with 17 wins
- Both teams start new World Test Championship cycle
- Pakistan seek home success, South Africa in strong form
LAHORE: Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first against South Africa in the opening Test of the two-match series at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (capt), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan.
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Aiden Markram (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Sen Muthusamy, Prenelan Subrayen, Kagiso Rabada, Simon Harmer.
Head-to-head record
Pakistan and South Africa have faced each other 30 times in Test cricket, with the Proteas holding the upper hand — winning 17 matches, while Pakistan have secured six victories and seven have been drawn.
Matches played: 30
Pakistan won: 6
South Africa won: 17
Drawn: 7
Form Guide
Both sides begin their World Test Championship (WTC) campaigns with this series, seeking a strong start to their new cycle.
Pakistan, who drew their last home Test series 1-1 against the West Indies in January, will be eager to start positively in familiar conditions.
South Africa, the defending champions, come into the contest in fine form after comprehensively defeating Zimbabwe 2-0 in a recent series, although that was not part of the WTC schedule. They will aim to carry forward their winning momentum, having whitewashed Pakistan 2-0 at home in 2024.
Recent results:
Pakistan: L, W, L, L, W (most recent first)
South Africa: W, W, W, W, W
