South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first in the second Test of the two-match series against Pakistan at Newlands in Cape Town on Friday.
Pakistan made a late announcement regarding their playing XI just half an hour before the toss. Star pacer Naseem Shah, who had a tough outing in the Centurion Test. Left-arm pacer Mir Hamza has been brought into the side to replace Naseem Shah for this crucial second Test.
The decision to drop Naseem Shah has raised eyebrows, with Pakistan looking to strengthen their bowling attack for the Cape Town test.
South Africa have already claimed their place in June’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s against as yet unconfirmed opponents, but Bavuma said they are fired up to close out the series against Pakistan and are not treating this as a dead rubber. “The series is still on the line, it is not just a case of we ticked the box of being in the final,” Bavuma said. “We still want to be clinical, we are eying 2-0. The focus is still there.
Earlier, Pakistan’s all-rounder Salman Ali Agha believes his team can bounce back and defeat South Africa in the second Test, starting on January 3 at Newlands.
Speaking to the media during a practice session, Salman reflected on the first Test, where South Africa narrowly won by two wickets. He admitted that Pakistan missed some chances but remained positive about their performance in the next match.
“We fought hard in Centurion and are confident of winning the second Test. Our morale is high, especially after beating South Africa in the ODI series,” Salman said.
He acknowledged the competitive nature of the first Test and expects the second match to be equally exciting. “In cricket, momentum can shift quickly. We’ll focus on avoiding mistakes and performing better this time,” he added.
