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Babar Azam’s Comeback Adds Excitement as Pakistan and South Africa Clash in Rawalpindi T20I
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Babar Azam’s Return Makes it Thrilling as Pakistan and South Africa Meet in Rawalpindi T20I
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Rawalpindi’s T20I History
Surprisingly, South Africa have never hosted a T20 international at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Out of 107 men’s sides to have appeared in T20Is, only New Zealand, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe have visited this ground earlier. Eight men’s T20Is have been hosted here since November 2020 — two of them washed out, and Pakistan winning four out of the other six. Significantly, all fully completed games were victories for the side chasing.
The pitch has witnessed some high-scoring thrillers, with Pakistan’s 193/5 in April 2023 the highest first-innings score, and New Zealand chasing down 194/4 for the highest successful run chase. But the pitch can turn nasty, too, as was witnessed when the Kiwis were reduced to 90 all out less than a year ago — a Shaheen Shah Afridi 3/13 and dominant spells by Amir, Abrar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan that marked the match.
There has only been one century played at the ground — Mark Chapman’s 104 off 57 in 2023 — and the best bowling performance to date is still Usman Qadir’s 4/13 against Zimbabwe. By overall average scoring rate of 8.18 runs per over, Pindi finds itself among the world’s most batting-friendly T20I grounds.
Babar Azam Returns
For Pakistan, everyone’s waiting for Babar Azam’s return to action, who has not played a T20I since December 2024 against South Africa. Head coach Mike Hesson dropped a hint that Babar could possibly fit in at No. 3 in place of his regular opening slot — a switch that fills a strategic twist. Babar is replacing Fakhar Zaman, and Usman Khan replaces Mohammad Haris in the playing XI.
Confident South Africa Arrive in Pindi
South Africa come into the competition with confidence following levelling of the recent Test series at the same ground. But this is a new challenge in a much shorter format. David Miller and Gerald Coetzee, who are injured, have been replaced by uncapped Tony de Zorzi and Matthew Breetzke in the team. Donovan Ferreira becomes the new captain.
Match Details
Date: October 27, 2025
Time: 8:00 PM Local (5:00 PM SAT, 3:00 PM GMT, 8:30 AM IST)
Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Pakistan
Conditions:Clear skies, flat batting pitch, and a lightning-fast outfield — ideal for T20 firework
Pakistan:
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (capt), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
South Africa:
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira (capt), Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Ottneil Baartman, Nqaba Peter, Lungi Ngidi.
What They Said
“We’ve given Fakhar a short break to work on his one-day batting. That opened the door for another top-order player,” said Mike Hesson.
“Gaining the first game in a brief series provides you with a huge advantage,” South Africa’s stand-in skipper Donovan Ferreira observed.
For More Cricket Updates and Match Highlights
Visit: www.crickethighlights.online
Stay updated with the latest Ranji Trophy results, player stats, and breaking cricket stories!
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