Pakistan v South Africa 2025/26: Hosts hold defending WTC champions to a draw

Pakistan v South Africa in 2025/26

Test matches (2): Pakistan 1 (12pts), South Africa 1 (12pts)
Twenty20 Internationals (3): Pakistan 2, South Africa 1
One-Day Internationals (3): Pakistan 2, South Africa 1

South Africa’s all-format trip was, by some distance, Pakistan’s most significant bilateral engagement of the year, containing their only home Tests, and their first anywhere for nine months. They reprised the spin-friendly conditions that helped turn around the series against England late in 2024, but the pitches were marginally easier, and the visitors made it 1-1 in Rawalpindi.

South Africa had been squeezed out of the first Test at Lahore by two big partnerships, after which the seasoned slow left-armer Nauman Ali broke their resistance, finishing with ten wickets in the match to condemn the visitors to their first defeat in 11.

These were South Africa’s first five-day games since lifting the World Test Championship trophy at Lord’s in June, and signalled the start of an 11-week spell in the subcontinent, including a tour of India. Because Temba Bavuma was still recovering from the hamstring injury he suffered at Lord’s, Aiden Markram stood in as captain. Simon Harmer’s off-spin was key: he took 13 wickets at 21 in the two Tests, including his 1,000th in first-class cricket. At Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s intensity slipped during a crucial afternoon session, allowing South Africa’s last two wickets to add 169, before Harmer ran through Pakistan’s top order. An interesting newcomer was leg-spinner Asif Afridi, Pakistan’s third-oldest debutant at 38, who had served a six-month ban in 2023 for spot-fixing: he took 6-79 in the first innings.

Pakistan won seven of the eight tosses across the formats, which helped them claim both white-ball series. In those, South Africa welcomed back Quinton de Kock, who had announced his retirement from ODIs after the 2023 World Cup. He struck a superb unbeaten 123 to win the second 50-over match, and he and teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius gave their side early impetus in each game, which helped mask the fact they were missing several regular players. Matthew Breetzke captained in the ODIs, while Pakistan also had a new 50-over skipper, in Shaheen Shah Afridi. After the decent starts, though, leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed kept troubling a brittle middle order. The T20 internationals had followed a similar pattern. Pakistan chased in all three after winning the toss and, though South Africa batted well to win the first,
Pakistan’s pacemen fought back.

South Africa’s touring party to Pakistan, 2025/26

*AK Markram (T), OEG Baartman (50/20), DG Bedingham (T), C Bosch (T/50/20), MP Breetzke (50/20), DT Brevis (T/20), N Burger (50/20), Q de Kock (50/20), T de Zorzi (T/50/20), D Ferreira (50/20), BC Fortuin (50), MZ Hamza (T), SR Harmer (T), RR Hendricks (20), RA Hermann (50), M Jansen (T), GF Linde (50/20), KA Maharaj (T), PWA Mulder (T), S Muthusamy (T), LT Ngidi (50/20), NX Peter (50/20), LG Pretorius (50/20), S Qeshile (50), K Rabada (T), RD Rickelton (T), A Simelane (20), T Stubbs (T), P Subrayen (T), K Verreynne (T), LB Williams (50/20). Coach: S Conrad.

Breetzke captained in the ODIs, and Ferreira in the T20s after the withdrawal of DA Miller with a leg injury. Original selections Miller, GW Coetzee (pectoral injury) and KT Maphaka (hamstring) were replaced by Baartman (both white-ball squads), Breetzke and de Zorzi (T20s), and Williams (ODIs). Brevis injured his shoulder during the tour, and was replaced in the ODI squad by Hermann.

First Test at Lahore, October 12-15, 2025

Pakistan won by 93 runs. Pakistan 12pts. Toss: Pakistan.

There were none of the pub heaters, windbreakers or giant fans that had greeted England a year earlier, but both sides knew what kind of pitch would welcome them for Lahore’s first Test in over three years – as well as the value of the toss, which Shan Masood was relieved to win. There were spinners aplenty, though South Africa were without Keshav Maharaj because of a groin strain. The key men for Pakistan were Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan, who had shared 39 of the 40 wickets in the last two Tests against England. They added 15 this time, as Pakistan had the upper hand almost from the start.

The first two sessions were the only time in the match when batting against spin was not a problem. Abdullah Shafiq fell to Rabada in the first over, but Masood knuckled down, and put on 161 for the second wicket with the returning Imam-ul-Haq. Imam finally fell to slow left-armer Muthusamy for 93, the first of three wickets on 199 either side of tea.

South Africa’s fate was all but sealed by a poor bowling effort in the first day’s final session. Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha survived to the close, and took their stand to 163 next morning. The last five wickets tumbled for 16, with Muthusamy completing a maiden five-for, but Pakistan’s 378 was a towering total on this surface.

Rickelton had tormented them earlier in the year by scoring 259 at Cape Town, and he now resisted for three hours for 71. He put on 94 with de Zorzi, whose resolute 104 would be the only century of the series. But, as with Pakistan’s innings, the floodgates opened once a stand was broken. Four wickets clattered for 26 towards the end of the second day, and Nauman pressed on next morning, ending up with six wickets as South Africa conceded a lead of 109.

That they found themselves back in the game a session and a half later was thanks largely to some excellent bowling from Muthusamy, who took five, to rack up 11 wickets in the game. He was only the third to claim more than ten in a Test at the Gaddafi Stadium. Saud Shakeel fell to an ungainly heave just before tea on the third day, the first of six to fall for 17 through some cavalier batting. Rizwan yorked himself as he wandered out of his crease to Harmer, and Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged a duck: South Africa needed 277 to win.

The target might have been higher, but it was still a tough challenge, and it looked impossible when four wickets were down by the 26th over. Rickelton was intent on survival – he eventually batted 192 minutes for 45 – but Brevis embarked on a thrilling counter-punch that had South Africa dreaming. Using his feet bravely to the spinners, he cracked six fours and two sixes in a run-a-ball 54. But the pitch had begun to spit and snarl, and there was an inevitability to his eventual dismissal after a stand of 73: Nauman sent down a beauty that ragged past the outside edge and rattled the stumps, his tenth wicket of the match.

It was the final straw. Shortly afterwards, Rickelton fell to Sajid, and Masood threw the ball to Afridi, judging that reverse swing might do the trick. It did: he took three wickets in 11 deliveries, as Pakistan wrapped up victory.

Player of the match: Nauman Ali.

Second Test at Rawalpindi, October 20-23, 2025

South Africa won by eight wickets. South Africa 12pts. Toss: Pakistan. Test debut: Asif Afridi.

Pakistan looked all set to repeat the dose after winning the toss and squeezing the most out of a precious window of favourable batting conditions. But South Africa’s spinners turned the tide, and a resolute batting performance – with some unlikely lower-order heroes – set up a series-squaring victory.

Shan Masood had again led from the front, sharing a stand of 111 with opener Abdullah Shafiq, whose half-century allayed concerns about his form. With the fast bowlers toothless once the ball had aged, it was only when Harmer had Shafiq strangled down leg that South Africa burst back to life. Babar Azam once more started brightly but fizzled out, the fita-gain Maharaj sending him on his way for a breezy 16, thanks to a superb close catch from de Zorzi. Masood then fell to Maharaj for 87, with three sixes and just two fours.

As in the first Test, Pakistan’s middle order found a second wind. Saud Shakeel, perhaps their most adept batter in these conditions, gritted it out for 66, and stretched his sixth-wicket stand with Salman Agha to 70. At 316-5, Pakistan looked poised to bat South Africa out of the game, only for their brittle lower order to let the visitors back in. Once Salman fell, Maharaj zipped through the rest, finishing with seven wickets as Pakistan lost their last five for 17.

The Second Test continued to mirror the First, with South Africa keeping Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan at bay for long periods on the second day. De Zorzi was central again, this time adding 113 in 37 overs with Stubbs. From 167-2, there followed the sort of collapse that had doomed South Africa in Lahore. The surprise package this time was Asif Afridi, a slow left-armer making his Test debut at 38. Four quick wickets on the third morning left South Africa 235-8, looking likely to concede another crucial lead on a crumbling pitch. Instead, a remarkable passage of play unfolded. Muthusamy and Maharaj went on the attack, and the flurry of runs became a clump. To the disbelief of the crowd, the venom drained from Pakistan’s spinners. By the time Maharaj was stumped off Nauman, the stand was worth 71.

Even then, South Africa were 27 shy of Pakistan’s total. But last man Rabada made a mockery of the deficit. He had never previously reached 50 in any level of cricket, but now raced there, combining devastating slogs with sumptuous timing. Shaheen Shah Afridi, finally back into the attack, was lifted back over his head for a straight six – the shot of the series. And with Muthusamy propping up the other end, Rabada did the bulk of the scoring. When he finally holed out to long-on, he had crunched 71 from 61 balls, with four sixes: the highest score by a South Africa No.11, beating Bert Vogler’s 62 not out against England at Cape Town in 1905-06. After more than three and a half hours, Muthusamy had constructed a priceless 89.

It was enough to knock the wind out of Pakistan, who came out to bat for the final session trailing by 71. Harmer struck three times before the deficit had been cleared, and Rabada removed Shafiq with little fuss. Babar reached an attractive half-century in the first over of the fourth day, only to be trapped by Harmer two balls later. Pakistan’s collapse felt all but inevitable. The first 43 balls of the morning brought four wickets for 11, and the final six contributed 42, as Harmer wrapped up the innings in the first hour. South Africa required just 68 to make it 1-1, and Pakistan went through the motions as Rickelton and Markram ended the match before lunch. Nauman grabbed two in an over, but South Africa soon completed a win which, two sessions earlier, had appeared out of reach.

Player of the match: KA Maharaj. Player of the series: S Muthusamy.

1st T20I At Lahore, October 28, 2025 (floodlit). South Africa won by 55 runs. South Africa 194-9 (20 overs) (RR Hendricks 60, T de Zorzi 33, GF Linde 36; Mohammad Nawaz 3-26); Pakistan 139 (18.1 overs) (Saim Ayub 37, Mohammad Nawaz 36; C Bosch 4-14, GF Linde 3-31). PoM: G. F. Linde. T20I debut: T. de Zorzi (South Africa).

2nd T20I At Lahore, October 31, 2025 (floodlit). Pakistan won by nine wickets. South Africa 110 (19.2 overs) (Salman Mirza 3-14, Fahim Ashraf 4-23); Pakistan 112-1 (13.1 overs) (Saim Ayub 71*). PoM: Salman Mirza. During his innings of 11*, Babar Azam passed India’s Rohit Sharma (4,231) to become the leading run-scorer in T20 internationals.

3rd T20I At Lahore, November 1, 2025 (floodlit). Pakistan won by four wickets. South Africa 139-9 (20 overs) (RR Hendricks 34, C Bosch 30*; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-26); Pakistan 140-6 (19 overs) (Babar Azam 68, Salman Agha 33). PoM: Babar Azam. PoS: Fahim Ashraf. T20I debut: Usman Tariq (Pakistan).

1st ODI At Faisalabad, November 4, 2025 (day/night). Pakistan won by two wickets. South Africa 263 (49.1 overs) (LG Pretorius 57, Q de Kock 63, MP Breetzke 42, C Bosch 41; Naseem Shah 3-40, Abrar Ahmed 3-53); Pakistan 264-8 (49.4 overs) (Fakhar Zaman 45, Saim Ayub 39, Mohammad Rizwan 55, Salman Aga 62). PoM: Salman Agha. ODI debuts: D Ferreira, LG Pretorius, S Qeshile (South Africa). Both captains – Shaheen Shah Afridi and Matthew Breetzke – were leading for the first time in ODIs.

2nd ODI At Faisalabad, November 6, 2025 (day/night). South Africa won by eight wickets. Pakistan 269-9 (50 overs) (Saim Ayub 53, Salman Agha 69, Mohammad Nawaz 59; N Burger 4-46, NX Peter 3-55); South Africa 270-2 (40.1 overs) (LG Pretorius 46, Q de Kock 123*, T de Zorzi 76). PoM: Q de Kock. Leg-spinner Nqaba Peter became the first to hold three return catches in a T20 international.

3rd ODI At Faisalabad, November 8, 2025 (day/night). Pakistan won by seven wickets. South Africa 143 (37.5 overs) (LG Pretorius 39, Q de Kock 53; Abrar Ahmed 4-27); Pakistan 144-3 (25.1 overs) (Saim Ayub 77, Mohammad Rizwan 32*). PoM: Abrar Ahmed. PoS: Q de Kock. ODI debut: RA Hermann (South Africa).

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