Islamabad, Feb 10: Pakistan aims to capitalize on its 2-0 victory in the test series against South Africa when it takes on the Proteas in the three-match Twenty20 series that begins on Thursday.
“The result of test series will have an impact on the Twenty20 series,” Pakistan bowling coach Waqar Younis told reporters during a virtual press conference in Lahore on Wednesday. “I can’t predict the ultimate result of the T20 series, but you will definitely see good results.”
Pakistan beat South Africa in a test series for the first time in 18 years with two emphatic victories at Karachi and Rawalpindi. Fast bowler Hasan Ali grabbed a 10-wicket haul in Pakistan’s 95-run win in the second test as the Proteas lost their last seven wickets for only 33 runs in the second innings and were bowled out for 274. Waqar was the bowling coach when a second-string Sri Lanka routed Pakistan 3-0 at Lahore in 2019.
The result saw Sarfaraz Ahmed being stripped of the captaincy and Babar Azam was chosen as the white-ball skipper before eventually being named as all format captain after Pakistan lost the test series in England last year. This time around, Waqar is not underestimating the second-string South Africa without its T20 regulars — captain Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. They were all part of the Proteas’ test squad in Pakistan but flew home as South Africa planned to prepare for the three-test series against Australia, which was postponed. The South Africa Twenty20 squad was en route to Pakistan when Australia pulled out of the series and eventually it was too late for the Proteas to keep some of the members of test squad in Pakistan.
Hasan, who returned to international cricket in the test series against South Africa after two years due to injuries, is part of Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad with Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf to give Pakistan a formidable pace attack. Pakistan had to leave out Mohammad Hafeez after he couldn’t join the team’s bio-secure bubble in Lahore by the Feb. 3 deadline.
Squad
Pakistan: Babar Azam, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Hussain Talat, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Zafar Gohar, Faheem Ashraf, Aamer Yamin, Amad Butt, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, Usman Qadir, Zahid Mehmood
South Africa: Heinrich Klaasen, Nandre Burger, Okuhle Cele, Junior Dala, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, George Linde, Janneman Malan, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lutho Sipamla, Jon-Jon Smuts, Pite van Biljon, Glenton Stuurman, Jacques Snyman (AP)
