pakistan will face South Africa The second of a two-match Test series. This article provides details about the second match of the series between South Africa’s Playing XI and Pakistan.
South Africa XI vs Pakistan – 2nd Test, South Africa Tour of Pakistan 2025
Opener: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton
South Africa will look to bounce back against Pakistan in the second Test, scheduled to begin on Monday (October 20), after suffering a defeat in the first of two consecutive matches against Pakistan.
Proteas will be overjoyed with the return of experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj, who was not part of the previous match but will be joining the team for this match.
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Maharaj will be drafted directly into the squad instead of Subraen, with the rest of the squad expected to remain unchanged.
South Africa will be happy that their batsmen showed resilience, especially in the first innings, with Pakistan struggling to pick up wickets.
Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram and Tony De Zorge in particular have shown great maturity and we hope to repeat the same effort in the next game.
As far as the batting department is concerned, the only concern for the team will be the form of captain Aiden Markram and new number three Wyan Mulder.
Markram has shown what he’s capable of with the bat time and time again and will look to help push him to the top of the order, while Mulder will be under some pressure as he hasn’t made a significant contribution at number three.
With Markram’s form not improving, South Africa’s team management will be hoping that his opening partner Rickelton can swing the bat again and that the pair can shine with the ball.
Middle-order hitters and all-rounders: Wyan Mulder, Tony De Sorge, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Veraine (wk)
The first pair will be followed by the middle order, and despite having no experience of playing the longest format for Pakistan, they were able to show their best in the first Test.
The captain will want the likes of Tony De Zorge and Tristan Stubbs to do more of what they did in the first and second innings of the game respectively.
Tony de Sorge, who might not have found a place in the playing eleven had regular captain Themba Bavuma been available, scored a hundred in the first innings in difficult conditions, while Stubbs completed a counter-attacking half-century in the chase.
As a visitor, I would like to look forward to seeing the lower-ranked batting lineup perform just like in the previous game.
Bowlers: Simon Harmer, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada
Like the batsmen, South Africa will be happy with the way their team’s bowling came to the fore in both innings.
The spin bowling trio of Simon Harmer, Senuran Muthusamy and Prenelan Subrien restricted the opponents to part totals and in doing so did not change the game.
The team’s fast bowling, led by Kagiso Rabada, also played its role, showing tense movement from the edges.
The Proteas hope that their bowling attack, which has been strengthened with the addition of Keshav Maharaj, can continue to perform well in the final Test.