Mohammad Rizwan Assures The Team Will Not Be Intimidated By South Africa’s Formidable Home Record

December 10, 2024: Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s white-ball captain, has made it clear that his team is not intimidated by South Africa’s exceptional home record as they prepare for their multi-format series starting in Durban. Pakistan will face South Africa in three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests on pitches that are expected to offer bounce and pace—conditions vastly different from the slower, lower surfaces typically seen in Asia.

South Africa’s dominance at home, especially in white-ball cricket, has been impressive. Since last year, they have hosted strong teams like West Indies, Netherlands, England, Australia, and India for 50-over cricket. Among these top cricketing nations, India is the only team to have managed a series win in South Africa. In the Test format, South Africa’s home record is even more formidable, with the Proteas yet to lose a Test match this year. Their last defeat in a home Test series came in 2018/19, when Sri Lanka stunned them in Durban and Gqeberha.

Despite South Africa’s impeccable record, Rizwan maintained that Pakistan is focusing on the present and is not weighed down by past results. Speaking to Pakistan Cricket in a video posted on YouTube, Rizwan said, “It doesn’t matter to us which team played where and what they achieved. Even what we did doesn’t matter because it is past. It is a new challenge for us, and we want to perform well.”

Rizwan’s remarks underscore the mindset of the Pakistani squad as they embark on this challenging tour. While South Africa’s dominance on home soil is well-recognized, Pakistan arrives with positive momentum after a series of strong performances on foreign turf. The most recent of these successes was a historic ODI series win in Australia, followed by T20I and ODI victories in Zimbabwe. These wins have provided Pakistan with a boost of confidence ahead of their tour.

For the upcoming T20I series in Durban, Pakistan has named a strong squad, led by Rizwan, who will also keep wicket. The team includes several key players such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf—all of whom have been in excellent form recently. The full squad for the T20Is is as follows:

• Mohammad Rizwan (captain, wk)
• Abrar Ahmed
• Babar Azam
• Haris Rauf
• Jahandad Khan
• Mohammad Abbas Afridi
• Mohammad Hasnain
• Muhammad Irfan Khan
• Omair Bin Yousuf
• Saim Ayub
• Salman Ali Agha
• Shaheen Shah Afridi
• Sufyan Moqim
• Tayyab Tahir
• Usman Khan (wk)

The South African squad for the T20Is includes experienced players like Heinrich Klaasen (captain), David Miller, Anrich Nortje, and Tabraiz Shamsi, who are expected to lead their charge with both bat and ball.

With both teams having their strengths, this series promises to be a hard-fought battle. Pakistan’s positive momentum and Rizwan’s strong leadership will be key factors in whether they can upset South Africa’s dominance at home. As Rizwan said, it’s a new challenge, and Pakistan is determined to rise to it, without dwelling on the past achievements of either team.