South Africa announce 20-man Test squad for Pakistan tour
South Africa are all set to travel to Pakistan for a two-Test and 3-T20I series that will commence on January 26. The last match of the series will be played on February 14 and all five events will take place across different venues. Cricket South Africa has announced the Proteas Test squad that will take on Pakistan.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock will take the charge of Proteas team in whites, with the first Test starting on January 26 at Karachi. The second Test will be played in Rawalpindi from February 4. All the three T20Is will be played in Lahore on February 11, 13 and 14 respectively. The T20I squad, CSA confirmed, will be announced next week.
Here is your #Proteas Test squad, for the two Test tour of Pakistan later this month. Congratulations to Ottniel Baartman earning his maiden #Proteas call up and Daryn Dupavillon on his maiden Test call-up. ?
#PAKvSA #SeeUsOnThePitch pic.twitter.com/MslVR3HqhV— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 8, 2021
Daryn Dupavillon and Ottniel Baartman have been handed their maiden Test call-ups, while Tabraiz Shamsi has also marked his return to the Test squad.
Pakistan’s poor outing
Pakistan would be keen to host South Africa on their soil as their higher officials stated earlier that they look forward to teams playing in their nation. It would be a great boost for local fans and the growth of cricket in Pakistan. Before hosting South Africa, the Men in Green were up against New Zealand on their soil.
Both nations locked horns in T20I and Test series where Pakistan had to face huge defeat against the Kiwis. After losing the T20I series, some respectable performance was expected from Pakistan in the purest format, but they went on to put on a dismal show. Defeating them with a huge margin, Kiwis sealed the top slot in the ICC Test rankings. A lot of big names from the Pakistan cricket fraternity slammed the team for their poor show outside.
On the other hand, South Africa recently completed a 2-0 Test series win against the visiting Sri Lankans. They will be keen to continue their winning momentum in the longest format to start with.
