KARACHI: South Africa have on Tuesday won the toss against Pakistan at the National Stadium Karachi (NSK) and elected to bat first in the first Test – a match being described as a “monumental moment” for the revival of international cricket in the country.
The two-Test series against South Africa has kickstarted in Karachi’s national stadium today.
The home series will be played behind closed doors because of the ongoing pandemic.
South Africa’s captain Quinton de Kock won the toss and decided to bat in the first Test against Pakistan.
25-year-old opener Imran Butt and 34-year-old left-arm spinner Nouman Ali are making their debuts for Pakistan. South Africa have opted for two specialist spinners Keshav Maharaj and George Linde.
Teams
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (capt, wk), George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi
Pakistan: Abid Ali, Imran Butt (debut), Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (capt), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Hassan Ali, Nouman Ali (debut), Yasir Shah, Shaheen Afridi
South Africa are playing their first Test in Pakistan after 14 years. The match in the port city of Karachi marks a significant vote of confidence for Pakistan where international cricket was suspended following as attack on the Sri Lanka team’s bus in Lahore in 2009.
Babar Azam is making his Test captaincy debut against a tough South Africa team. Azam has recovered from a thumb injury that kept him out of the two-Test series in New Zealand, which Pakistan lost 2-0.
