TOP STORIES

Shaheen Afridi at the helm as Pakistan gear up to host South Africa in first ODI

Monday, 03-Nov-2025 â—Ź 1 day ago
News

Pakistan and South Africa are preparing to face off in the first ODI of the three-match series on Tuesday in Faisalabad. After an exciting T20I leg where Pakistan emerged victorious with 2-1, both teams will eye a great start to the ODI series.

Pakistan will enter the ODI series with huge confidence, having bounced back strongly in the shortest format. They lost the first T20I in Rawalpindi but came back strongly in the second and third games in Lahore to seal the series 2-1. 

Babar Azam, the star batter, has found his rhythm just in time. His incredible 68-run knock in the final T20I was a welcome return to form. And his presence in the ODI squad will further boost Pakistan's prospects as they look forward to challenging the Proteas. 

Most importantly, the series will mark a new era of leadership for Pakistan in ODIs. Shaheen Shah Afridi has been handed the captaincy, replacing Mohammad Rizwan, who remains an integral part of the squad. Leading in his first assignment as skipper, Shaheen Afridi will be keen to make a statement and repay the faith.

South Africa, on the other hand, will aim to bounce back after their T20I series defeat. They will be led by Matthew Breetzke amid the presence of reliable players such as Quinton de Kock, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi and Lungi Ngidi. 

Head-to-head

Matches - 87

SA won - 52

PAK won - 34

No Result - 1

Pakistan possible XI: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

South Africa possible XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Matthew Breetzke (c), Donovan Ferreira, Sinethemba Qeshile, George Linde, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger



Tags

More News

News

R Ashwin ruled out of BBL

13 mins ago

Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been ruled out of the upcoming Big Bash League after suffering an injury to his knee while training in Chennai. The legendary player had one more milestone in his career, becoming the first nationally capped Indian man to play in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), but those hopes have been shattered for now.

"...


News

South Africa's Dewald Brevis ruled out of Pakistan ODIs

58 mins ago

South Africa's explosive batter Dewald Brevis has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Pakistan with a low-grade shoulder muscle strain. He suffered the injury during the third T20I against Pakistan in Lahore on Saturday. Brevis will stay with the team in Pakistan and undergo rehabilitation ahead of the multi-format tour of...


News

"He's a serious talent": Australian spinner on big hitter Abhishek Sharma ahead of 4th T20I

1 hr ago

In the ongoing T20I series between India and Australia, Indian power-hitter Abhishek Sharma has taken centre-stage with a brutal assault on the Australian bowlers, playing electrifying knocks. Sharma’s form in T20Is this year has been spectacularly impressive. He entered the series after a sparkling run in the Asia Cup 2025, where he scored 314...


News

NZ vs WI, 1st T20I: All you need to know, head-to-head, playing XI

3 hrs ago

New Zealand are gearing up to host West Indies in a high-voltage five-match T20I series, set to kick off in Auckland on Wednesday. New Zealand, who will be led by ever-reliable Mitchell Santner, will be eager to rediscover their winning touch in the shortest format, following a tough run of results against England and Australia earlier this yea...


News

Jitesh Sharma to lead India A in Rising Stars Asia Cup

5 hrs ago

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma is slated to lead India A in the Rising Stars Asia Cup set to be held from November 14 to November 23 in Qatar. Naman Dhir has been named his deputy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member squad that also features the likes of Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Nehal Wadhera and Ramandeep Singh.

Fi...