Pakistan vs South Africa (2025) | 1st T20I | Rawalpindi | October 28 | Pre-Match Discussion

[BouncerGuy]

The South Africa tour of Pakistan kicks off with the first T20I on October 28 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, 8:00 PM local time. Both sides will be eager to set the tone in this white-ball leg after a gripping Test series earlier this month.

Both teams come into this clash after a fiercely contested Test series that ended 1-1. Pakistan took the first Test in Lahore, while South Africa bounced back in Rawalpindi.

Will Pakistan strike first at home, or will South Africa carry their confidence and win the series?

 

[alishahid]

Saim
Farhan
Babar
Usman
Salman
Hasan
Nawaz
Faheem
Shaheen
Naseem
Abrar

 

[Kianig89]

Salman Agha is the captain with SR 80, so we are basically playing with 10 men.

 

[Kianig89]

@Rana how will you justify Salman Agha with that approach, when you loathe RizBar who have much better avg and SR.

 

[Rana]

@Rana how will you justify Salman Agha with that approach, when you loathe RizBar who have much better avg and SR.

You want to get into a pointless discussion with me and end up getting your feelings hurt and also your stupidity exposed?

 

[BouncerGuy]

@Rana how will you justify Salman Agha with that approach, when you loathe RizBar who have much better avg and SR.

Anything can be justified, even if it is more pathetic than Babar and co

 

[Banda298]

Salman Agha is the captain with SR 80, so we are basically playing with 10 men.

 

[Rana]

Anything can be justified, even if it is more pathetic than Babar and co

Nothing can be justified to those who actually view Babar and Rizwan as modern T20 openers

 

[RidiculousMan]

1. Saim
2. Farhan (WK)
3. Babar
4. Agha (c)
5. Hassan
6. Samad
7. Nawaz
8. Faheem
9. Shaheen
10. Naseem
11. Abrar

Best XI from squad

 

[Ball Blazer]

SA to win 2-1

 

[mominsaigol]

Nothing can be justified to those who actually view Babar and Rizwan as modern T20 openers

Mate, these guys have lost it. Even I'm tired at this point.

You just can't beat Crazy. Trying to convince these guys that Ba/Riz are worthless in the t20 format is like trying to convince a flat earther that the world is round.

It doesnt matter if you are right cause a flat earther will always believe that the world is flat no matter what.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Suggest your playing 11 now... No point crying anymore... Haris and fakhar and dropped... Believe that.

 

[Rana]

Suggest your playing 11 now... No point crying anymore... Haris and fakhar and dropped... Believe that.

Babar will be finished soon. That’s what you need to believe.

 

[Kianig89]

Would be interesting how we fit Agha the captain in the side along with Babar as both are accumulators, not to mention the latter has SR around 130 while the skipper hops at 80ish SR.

 

[Kianig89]

Won't be surprised if SA like India blank us 3-0

 

[YousafTheBeast]

What’s going on here lads, first the test matches starting on Monday and now they’re starting the T20i series on a Tuesday.

Do they have some autistic kutta in the PCB that thinks more people will tune into the game on a Tuesday than on a Friday?

 

[YousafTheBeast]

8pm local start on a Tuesday…you can’t make this up

 

[BouncerGuy]

Protes might win this one

 

[Devadwal]

Protes might win this one

They are playing with second string team so Pakistan is huge favourite

 

[Rana]

Protes might win this one

Nahi nahi ab King hai.

Why are you scared???

 

[Rana]

Won't be surprised if SA like India blank us 3-0

Typical,

After crying again and again for Babar’s return….this is your expectation now that he’s returned????

 

[Rana]

Now that Babar is back and will open

Anything less than 3-0 and Pakistan winning by Handsome, convincing margins is Unacceptable for this T20i side playing against a b/c string SA side!

I swear now I will become your worst nightmare!

@gazza619 @BouncerGuy @Ahmed216 @heddie19 @Kianig89 @Major @AZulfi @Raja Ishtiaq

 

[BouncerGuy]

Now that Babar is back and will open

Anything less than 3-0 and Pakistan winning by Handsome, convincing margins is Unacceptable for this T20i side playing against a b/c string SA side!

I swear now I will become your worst nightmare!

@gazza619 @BouncerGuy @Ahmed216 @heddie19 @Kianig89 @Major @AZulfi @Raja Ishtiaq

yeah like we won asia cup recently... Move on bro.. you got nothing in your tank atm... your tulla brigade is out of the team... Digest that... who did that??

me??

no hesson.. who liked before when he selected the tulla brigade.

 

[jamie smith fan]

3-0 on the cards.
Only 2 proper batsmen in the team saim and farhan others are just tailenders

 

[gazza619]

yeah like we won asia cup recently... Move on bro.. you got nothing in your tank atm... your tulla brigade is out of the team... Digest that... who did that??

me??

no hesson.. who liked before when he selected the tulla brigade.

He cant digest anything. RizBar are dropped or picked, his obsession with them continues.

 

[Rana]

yeah like we won asia cup recently... Move on bro.. you got nothing in your tank atm... your tulla brigade is out of the team... Digest that... who did that??

me??

no hesson.. who liked before when he selected the tulla brigade.

I kept telling you to trust the process

You didn’t want to. Now this is all on you people. 3-0 Pakistan by HANDSOME margins or nothing!

 

[BouncerGuy]

I kept telling you to trust the process

You didn’t want to. Now this is all on you people. 3-0 Pakistan by HANDSOME margins or nothing!

Again... I have not dropped Haris and Khushdil and gang from the side...

 

[BouncerGuy]

Look the positives you have,,, Salman is still the captain..

 

[Rana]

Again... I have not dropped Haris and Khushdil and gang from the side...

That’s not your problem now

You have been crying a lot even when Pakistan were winning with those guys in the team/squad

You are overtly happy now Babar is back and Harris is dropped.

Now you will reap what you sow.

Believe That!

 

[Rana]

Look the positives you have,,, Salman is still the captain..

Look at the positives,

The demonic version of myself is back too.

The next 3-4 months will be the Last Ride for you all.

 

[BouncerGuy]

LOL... Rana

Your obsession with babar is making your mind go crazy...

 

[Rana]

LOL... Rana

Your obsession with babar is making your mind go crazy...

Your obsession in tearing down youngsters in their first stint for Pakistan was for all to see.

As I said, you will reap what you sow. I will make sure of it.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Your obsession in tearing down youngsters in their first stint for Pakistan was for all to see.

As I said, you will reap what you sow. I will make sure of it.

Youngsters had their chance and they failed badly... TBH... Fakhar should have been there in place of Saim DUck Ayub

but anyways.... Hesson is your guy... go outside his house and DHARNA Do

 

[jnaveen1980]

Can't wait to see Babar in T20 and his massive sixes

 

[Rana]

Youngsters had their chance and they failed badly... TBH... Fakhar should have been there in place of Saim DUck Ayub

but anyways.... Hesson is your guy... go outside his house and DHARNA Do

so now the failure that is Babar is back, because according to you the Youngsters have failed

And what do you do? Become scared and say Pakistan will lose this match? What do you stand for?!!!

 

[Rana]

Can't wait to see Babar in T20 and his massive sixes

Babar will score 70 off 25 against this B string SA attack. That’s the minimum expected from him after all the crying people have done!

 

[BouncerGuy]

so now the failure that is Babar is back, because according to you the Youngsters have failed

And what do you do? Become scared and say Pakistan will lose this match? What do you stand for?!!!

Babar has other 10 men in the playing 11 also... They should perform as well..

this is a team game..

But I know you are waiting for his failure so wait till 28th...

 

[Rana]

“Youngsters have had their chance and failed badly!”

The people who say this kind of stuff are the ones preaching about what’s right and wrong with Pakistan cricket on other threads!

You people are the architects of your own demise and downfall!

Pakistan cricket, in fact as a society is a write off!!

 

[Rana]

Babar has other 10 men in the playing 11 also... They should perform as well..

this is a team game..

But I know you are waiting for his failure so wait till 28th...

No!

It was Babar who you people have cried on and on about!

Ab yeh hi World Cup jita ke de!!

 

[jnaveen1980]

Babar will score 70 off 25 against this B string SA attack. That’s the minimum expected from him after all the crying people have done!

70 of 25? lol i bet my house he is not doing that.

 

[Rana]

70 of 25? lol i bet my house he is not doing that.

Ok…
70 off 45, can you bet your house he will do that?? He is an opener! He gets 15-20 powerplay deliveries too.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Ok…
70 off 45, can you bet your house he will do that?? He is an opener! He gets 15-20 powerplay deliveries too.

I still doubt he is doing that especially if the spinners bowl

 

[Rana]

I still doubt he is doing that especially if the spinners bowl

Kya Matlab!

Ab hum iss se 70 off 65 ki umeed lagayen???

 

[jnaveen1980]

Kya Matlab!

Ab hum iss se 70 off 65 ki umeed lagayen???

I don't think he will go past 50.

 

[Rana]

But I know you are waiting for his failure so wait till 28th...

Just like you have been waiting day in, day out for the failures of youngsters whilst Babar and Rizwan were out of the team.

Now, you will suffer me.

 

[Ahmed216]

Can't wait to see Babar in T20 and his massive sixes

Currently Pak is not the side to follow if you want to see entertaining batting in T20 cricket.

 

[BouncerGuy]

STAY ON TOPIC

 

[Rana]

Currently Pak is not the side to follow if you want to see entertaining batting in T20 cricket.

What do you mean? Who banged India twice for 100 in 11-12 overs and smashed Bumrah and Co all around the park???

It was Babar Azam…. Oh wait!

 

[Rana]

Sahibzada Farhan
Saim Ayub
Hassan Nawaz
Usman Khan
Salman Mirza
Abrar Ahmed

Nothing against you boys. Good luck. Rana will always stand behind you.

As for Bobsy, boy teri shaamat aye ghy!

 

[jamie smith fan]

Sahibzada Farhan
Saim Ayub
Hassan Nawaz
Usman Khan
Salman Mirza
Abrar Ahmed

Nothing against you boys. Good luck. Rana will always stand behind you.

As for Bobsy, boy teri shaamat aye ghy!

What about samad and wasim jr??
I think wasim jr is being unfairly treated.He bowled well in 2023 wc but was wrongly dropped after that.Serms there is lobbying going on against him

 

[Rana]

What about samad and wasim jr??
I think wasim jr is being unfairly treated.He bowled well in 2023 wc but was wrongly dropped after that.Serms there is lobbying going on against him

Yeah ok.

Samad and Wasim jr too. Backing them. Although Samad I know will be useless eventually. He like Iftikhar can’t read wrist spin.

 

[BouncerGuy]

What do you mean? Who banged India twice for 100 in 11-12 overs and smashed Bumrah and Co all around the park???

It was Babar Azam…. Oh wait!

Babar and riz defeated India in the World Cup by 10 wickets... how many have your youngsters won???

NONE... SHOONAY

 

[Rana]

Babar and riz defeated India in the World Cup by 10 wickets... how many have your youngsters won???

NONE... SHOONAY

Bangladesh have beaten India in a 50 over World Cup

How many times have Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzimam, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar etc have defeated them???

So Bangladesh is a greater ODI team historically than Pakistan???

 

[BouncerGuy]

Bangladesh have beaten India in a 50 over World Cup

How many times have Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzimam, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar etc have defeated them???

So Bangladesh is a greater ODI team historically than Pakistan???

But they surely have smashed India before as well.. Salman and co did it but Babar and riz did it first...

 

[Kianig89]

No matter the result series will be evenly fought, Agha trusts the process

 

[Rana]

Won't be surprised if SA like India blank us 3-0

No matter the result series will be evenly fought, Agha trusts the process

It’s not very difficult for hypocrites to expose themselves

That’s the pressure I exert. I smoke out rats from their hiding holes.

 

[RidiculousMan]

No matter the result series will be evenly fought, Agha trusts the process

They don't trust the process. If they did. They wouldn't have benched Hasan Nawaz for Talat in T20Is

 

[Kianig89]

They don't trust the process. If they did. They wouldn't have benched Hasan Nawaz for Talat in T20Is

I was referring to the process that Agha lost 3 time from India consecutively to ensure the process, but some obsessed posters @Rana took it something else

 

[Rana]

I was referring to the process that Agha lost 3 time from India consecutively to ensure the process, but some obsessed posters @Rana took it something else

Soon you will be referring it to the process I will put you hypocrites through

A process where you will all be begging/praying that I forget your sorry existence here on this forum.

There was a process in play to make Pakistan compete with world teams. But you cowards could not handle it because the compromise was your two crap T20 batters being booted out from the side.

Now there is a new process in function by me. God have mercy on all of your souls.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

There's zero method to Pak T20 madness & hence there won't be any positive results in the long term, whatsoever.

They unsettled a mediocre but performing team by dumping players, identifying slow strike rate as the key problem & then brought someone as a captain who is even slower. Then they hailed intent merchants as the next big thing & made us listen to sermons how this is the modern way Pak cricket would be played, only to drop these players at the first sign of trouble and brought back the older "slow strike rate stat padders".

Hassan was the opener, then one down, then middle order, then benched. A journey man from UAE was asked to give up on UAE cricket & financial opportunities galore only to be benched & discarded & then like Undertaker in a casket match at Wrestlemania, he's back from the dead & shafted into the side a couple of months later. There were two openers for Lahore and the younger one who outperformed the senior is lost to the system while the older one was chosen to play for Pak and then sent back to reserves after a reasonably okay tournament.

Nawaz Sharif said "Dairoun ka safr" about Pak establishment & their shenanigans but it's true for our overall cricket as well.

In the middle of all of this mess they also managed to issue NOCs for a foreign league to a handful of players, then revoked them, only to issue them back & created needless drama about PSL which in essence has not progressed an inch from the product that debuted ten years ago.

Corrupt bhi hain, incompetent bhi hain, aur Dunning Kruger syndrome ki perfect personification bhi hain.

 

[Rana]

They unsettled a mediocre but performing team by dumping players, identifying slow strike rate as the key problem & then brought someone as a captain who is even slower. Then they hailed intent merchants as the next big thing & made us listen to sermons how this is the modern way Pak cricket would be played, only to drop these players at the first sign of trouble and brought back the older "slow strike rate stat padders"

Yeah don’t act like you haven’t been crying on this forum for Babar and Rizwan to return.

 

[BouncerGuy]

READ THE TITLE OF THE THREAD AGAIN AND YOU WILL KNOW WHY YOUR USELESS POSTS WERE REMOVED FROM THIS THREAD...

THANKS

 

[Katwalindian]

They are playing with second string team so Pakistan is huge favourite

Pakistan usually loses or underperform to second string...plus they side with very dangerous youngsters....if miller didn't gets injured I think SA would have been favourites....

 

[Devadwal]

Pakistan usually loses or underperform to second string...plus they side with very dangerous youngsters....if miller didn't gets injured I think SA would have been favourites....

Bowling is very weak , they have batsman who can give taught fight to Pakistan but bowler's won't win the match.

 

[Katwalindian]

Yeah regularly it's markarm and rickelton opens but now it's reeza and QDK...I didn't see any difference in quality...if only miller is there its as good as complete side...only stubbs Missing in middle order......in terms of bowling its didn't matter much because they gonna collapse regardless.....

Bowling is very weak , they have batsman who can give taught fight to Pakistan but bowler's won't win the match.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

What is so special about 5 ft. 5 inch trundler Salman Mirza? You see like 20 cricketers like him in tape-ball leagues

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Yeah regularly it's markarm and rickelton opens but now it's reeza and QDK...I didn't see any difference in quality...if only miller is there its as good as complete side...only stubbs Missing in middle order......in terms of bowling its didn't matter much because they gonna collapse regardless.....

Markram is high-quality. Arguably the best of bunch. de Kock used to be great but hasn't played in a long time so tough to say

 

[lucky_fish]

Saim should NOT be opening. He has a lucky knock once in a while but from what I've seen he just doesn't give me confidence as a opener at all. Great player to have in the team 100% - decent bowler, good fielder and hits a few - middle/lower order for me - paired with Hassan Nawaz someone who can lift the game in the last few overs. But not an opener.

The problem obviously is what are the alternatives? For me if Babar is in the team then he opens with Farhan... by no means do I think he's the best opener we have etc but it's the only place I see him in the t20 team...I mean let's face it he'll by in by the 3rd over anyway.

All in all PCB management have really backed themselves into a corner with strange squad selections... for example moving on from Babar and Rizwan was exactly the right thing to do, but with no strong alternatives we see Babar back (having done not much to showcase his T20 improvement) and Rizwan (who is the best WK we have in terms of actual keeping) benched for Usman who arguably should have rotated in the Asia Cup etc with Haris... not against a strong SA Team.

I've got faith in Hesson though and will support our team to the end as I always have done. It would just be nice to actually see a young cricketer come into the team who belongs there.