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Shaheen Afridi drops Haris Rauf as Pakistan invite South Africa to bat in 1st ODI

Debashis Sarangi

Pakistan to bowl first in 1st ODI vs SA [Source: AFP]Pakistan to bowl first in 1st ODI vs SA [Source: AFP]

In a significant development, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first in the ODI series opener against South Africa. At toss, Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi stated that his side would chase in order to capitalise on the playing conditions of Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. 

It's worth mentioning that the first match against South Africa is Shaheen Afridi's maiden outing as Pakistan's ODI captain. Haris Rauf sits out, while Pakistan have picked a batting-heavy side for the first game. Both Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Talat have been included in the team, with Shaheen set to spearhead Pakistan's bowling attack alongside Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed. 

Meanwhile, South Africa have three ODI debutants- Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile and Donovan Ferreira. 

PAK vs SA: Playing XIs

South Africa Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke (c), Sinethemba Qeshile, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams

Pakistan Playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

PAK vs SA: Captains' thoughts

"We will bowl first. It's fresh (wicket), it's been a long time since an ODI was played here. It's a good opportunity and responsibility, I will try to enjoy and give confidence to the players. Everyone is looking forward to the series," Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi said during the toss. 


"Looks a bit dry and we have heard that the dew comes in later. So, we will have to assess in the first 10 overs. Taken a lot of lessons from the T20Is but we have done well in this format in the past few months. We have three debuts," South Africa skipper Matthew Breetzke was quoted as saying by CREX. 

Why is Haris Rauf not playing today's PAK vs SA 1st ODI?

Haris Rauf hasn't had a great time with the ball in 2025, scalping six wickets across five matches at an average of 45.17. He has taken more than seven overs to bag a wicket, while conceding 6.25 runs per over. 

His middling returns in the format could be the reason why the Shaheen Afridi-led think tank has preferred Naseem Shah over Rauf as the second pacer. Meanwhile, Faheem Ashraf's exclusion is surprising, as it has restricted Pakistan's pure bowling options to four. Saim Ayub and Salman Agha can contribute with the ball though, having the ability to chip in with crucial overs of off-spin.