Fakhar Zaman dropped from Pakistan's squad for South Africa

Pakistan squad has been finalized for the South Africa tour but Fakhar Zaman has not been included in any of the squads.

The Pakistan team will play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests from December 10 to January 7.

Fast bowler Mohammad Abbas has returned to the Test squad. He last played in Jamaica in August 2021. He has taken 90 wickets in 25 Tests and 31 wickets in the current Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Shaheen Shah Afridi has been included in the white-ball squad, keeping workload management in mind. 

The series begins with the first T20I in Durban on December 10, while the first ODI will start in Paarl on December 17, and the Test matches will commence in Centurion and Cape Town on December 26 and January 3, respectively.

Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad has also been included in the Test team after Pakistan Shaheens took 15 wickets against Sri Lanka A last month.

Mir Hamza is the fourth fast bowler in the 15-member Test squad and is currently playing for Peshawar against Lahore Whites in Abbottabad.

Off-spinner Sajid Khan, who took 19 wickets in the Test series against England, is not part of the team. Considering the conditions at Centurion and Newlands, as well as South Africa as a competitor, the selectors have chosen only one specialist spinner, Noman Ali, who took 20 wickets in the Test series against England and has taken 67 wickets in 17 Tests.

Left-arm spinner Sufyan Muqeem has managed to gain the selectors' trust for the first time in ODIs, taking eight wickets in 2 T20 Internationals against Zimbabwe.

Pakistan Test Squad:

Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haseebullah (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha.

One-day squad:

Muhammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Muhammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Muqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper).

T20 squad:

Muhammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jehandad Khan, Muhammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Umair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Muqeem Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper).

Member Selection Committee and Interim White Ball Head Coach Aqib Javed said, "We have adopted a policy of selecting the players required for the format to ensure that the three squads are well-balanced and able to perform strongly in South Africa."

Tour schedule:

December 10: First T20 International. Durban
December 13: Second T20 International. Centurion
December 14: Third T20 International. Johannesburg
December 17: First ODI. Pearl
December 19: Second ODI, Cape Town
December 22: Third ODI, Johannesburg
December 26-30: First Test, Centurion
January 3-7: Second Test, Cape Town