Pakistan recall Babar, Abbas for South Africa tour, Sajid Khan out

Pakistan recalled former skipper Babar Azam on Wednesday for the away Test series and white-ball matches against South Africa starting next week, but there was no place for spinner Sajid Khan.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also recalled fast bowler Mohammad Abbas after three years for test matches in South Africa while Shaheen Shah Afridi will play only white-ball cricket on the tour.

Naseem Shah, who missed the last two home test matches against England, Khurram Shahzad and left-armer Mir Hamza are the pace bowlers named to the test squad.

The 30-year-old star batsman Azam was dropped following defeat in the first Test against England in October and rested for the ongoing limited-over series against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan will play three Twenty20 internationals in South Africa starting from Dec.10, followed by three one-day matches and two Tests.

Fast bowler Mohammad Abbas also returns to the Test side after last playing in 2021.

Off-spinner Sajid misses out despite taking 19 wickets in the 2-1 home Test series win over England, with selectors taking into consideration the less spin-friendly pitches in South Africa.

"We have adopted a horses for courses policy to ensure squads are well-balanced and leaving out Sajid was an extremely difficult decision," Aaqib Javed, a senior member of the selection committee, said in a Pakistan Cricket Board statement.

"Our focus in ODIs is to continue building momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy, while the T20 series provides a platform to blend experience with emerging talent."

Sajid's spin partner Noman Ali, who took 20 wickets against England, is the only spinner for the Tests in Centurion and Cape Town. The first Test starts on Dec.26.

"Leaving out Sajid Khan, despite his stellar performances against England, was an extremely tough and difficult decision," Javed said.

"However, considering the pace-friendly conditions at Centurion and in Cape Town, we opted for Mohammad Abbas instead, who is an outstanding exponent of seam bowling."

Javed said fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been picked only for the white-ball matches to manage his workload. Opener Fakhar Zaman is still out because he has yet to regain form and match fitness, said Javed.

The selectors have retained youngster Sufiyan Muqeem for the T20s and ODIs after the left-arm wrist spinner claimed eight wickets in two T20s against Zimbabwe. Sufiyan also recorded Pakistans best-ever T20 figures of five wickets for three runs on Tuesday when his team routed Zimbabwe for 57 at Bulawayo.

Pakistan squads for South Africa tour:

Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha

ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan

T20Is: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan

AFP / AP