When South Africa last toured Pakistan, in 2007 under Graeme Smith, Shoaib Malik was the captain of Pakistan team. The series won by the visitors 1-0.

Playing on home soil in known conditions always increases the confidence of local players. The series will provide a good experience to young Pakistani players, who have been selected for the first time on the basis of their domestic performances. It will be a good chance for them to perform against a quality opposition and cement their places in the national team.

Babar Azam, who returns to the side after recovering from a thumb fracture, will lead the young team, which includes uncapped players Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Nauman Ali, and Sajid Khan who have been selected after impressive performances in the recently concluded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

The 27-year-old off spinner Sajid Khan could play an important role for Pakistan. He took 67 wickets for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

After pathetic performances in New Zealand, opener Shan Masood, Haris Sohail and fast bowler Mohammad Abbas have been dropped from the Test squad.

Pakistan will be without the services of leg-spinner Shadab Khan and young fast bowler Naseem Shah who are sidelined because of injuries.

Fast bowler Hasan Ali is back in the side after a long layoff because of injuries. He played his last international game in 2019 against India in the World Cup.

In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Hasan claimed 43 wickets, averaging 20.06, and was named the player of the tournament.

Pakistan head coach Misbah ul Haq feels that they have a perfect opportunity to beat South Africa due to home advantage.

“South Africa have never been an easy side to beat, but them playing after a long time in Pakistan will be an advantage for us, and we have a great chance to improve our record against them.

Playing at home ground is always encouraging for the players, and it reflected in our performances in the series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh last year,” Misbah said.

On the other hand, South Africa’s head coach Mark Boucher says that Proteas have a huge task ahead as Pakistan are dangerous in their own conditions.

The former wicket-keeper says that the pitches in Pakistan suit batsmen. But he adds that their players’ confidence is high after winning the series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.

In Boucher’s opinion, South Africa’s fast bowlers will face a hard time trying to get wickets.

It will be a test for the visitors’ batsmen against local spinners. If they manage to stay at the crease, there will be a good chance for South Africa to win, he says.

In my view, Pakistani players should learn from the Indian players who won the fourth Test and the series against Australia on their soil in the absence of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav. On the last day on a tricky track, they chased the target of 328 with calm batting.

Today’s South African team is not as strong as it was in the past. Pakistan’s chances in the series will depend on the batting performance, especially from the top-order.

The young Pakistani batsmen should show patience and try to stay at the crease as much as possible and if they are successful, Pakistan will have a good chance to win the series.

The South Africa series could be the last chance for head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis to retain their position. If Pakistan won the series, they could get a lifeline.

In the previous 11 Test series (1994-2019) between the two countries, South Africa have had a clear edge over Pakistan with seven series wins. Pakistan were successful only once, in the 2003-04 home series.

In the last series, in 2018-19, Pakistan were whitewashed (0-3) under Sarfraz Ahmed. The last Test Pakistan won against South Africa was in 2013 in Abu Dhabi.

Of the 26 Tests played between the two countries, South Africa have won 15. Pakistan have remained victorious on only four occasions.

Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis is the top scorer from both sides with 1564 runs in 19 Tests with six centuries and eight fifties at an average of 53.93.

For Pakistan, veteran Younis Khan scored 990 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 39.70 with four hundreds and two fifties.

Former leg-spinner Danish Kaneria is the most successful Pakistan bowler against South Africa with 36 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 30.44. Dale Steyn has taken 59 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 23.28.

Khurram Manzoor’s 146 runs in Abu Dhabi in 2013 is the highest score from a Pakistani batsman against South Africa. Former skipper AB de Villiers made the highest score (278 not out) for South Africa against Pakistan.

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