South Africa will begin life as reigning World Test Champions with a short, but intriguing, visit to Pakistan next month. Lahore hosts the first Test from 12 October, Rawalpindi the second from 20 October, before the two sides switch to white-ball cricket for three T20Is and three ODIs.
It is Pakistan’s first assignment of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, and South Africa’s chance to bank early points after lifting the mace in June. Both boards have squeezed the tour into a three-week window at the start of Pakistan’s winter, dodging the worst of the Lahore smog while still giving the Gaddafi Stadium a rare Test.
A rebuilt Gaddafi
The ground has not staged a Test since it was revamped for the Champions Trophy earlier this year. Fresh seats, corporate boxes and a new media block are in place, yet the outfield still looks and feels like the old one – a point, officials say, that should please batters accustomed to Lahore’s quick, skiddy surface.
Rawalpindi has had cosmetic work of its own: extra drainage, improved player areas and LED sightscreens. More importantly, curators have promised a little more pace than the featherbeds served up in 2023-24.
Faisalabad back on the map
All three ODIs – 4, 6 and 8 November – go to Iqbal Stadium, a venue left idle at international level for 17 years. The ground last hosted top-flight cricket when Mohammad Yousuf’s beard was headline news and AB de Villiers kept wicket in long sleeves. Local officials have lobbied hard for a return; they finally have their wish.
The city was due to stage two T20Is against Bangladesh in May, but that tour slipped because of political tension on the India-Pakistan border. Faisalabad kept the floodlights on and is rewarded with a run of 50-over matches instead.
Opening the gates
Covid meant the 2021 South Africa Tests were played behind closed doors. This time full houses are expected. Ticket sales for the Lahore Test were reported at 60 per cent within 48 hours of release – healthy, if not quite the scramble seen when Australia toured in 2022.
PCB chief executive Sumair Ahmed underlined the significance of the series. “We are looking forward to welcome South Africa for the opening series of our ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign,” he said. “Starting the new cycle against the current Test champions will provide quality cricket for our players and fans.”
Talking points
• Pakistan’s new-look top order: Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood are inked in, but who partners them?
• Keshav Maharaj versus Pakistan’s left-handers on easing Lahore pitches – genuine contest or containment?
• Early-season swing in Rawalpindi: can Kagiso Rabada exploit it better than Shaheen Afridi?
The schedule in full
12-16 Oct – 1st Test, Lahore
20-24 Oct – 2nd Test, Rawalpindi
28 Oct – 1st T20I, Rawalpindi
31 Oct – 2nd T20I, Lahore
1 Nov – 3rd T20I, Lahore
4 Nov – 1st ODI, Faisalabad
6 Nov – 2nd ODI, Faisalabad
8 Nov – 3rd ODI, Faisalabad
It is a compact tour, perhaps too tight for anyone to settle, yet attractive all the same. Two Tests, six limited-overs games, three grounds and, for the first time in four years, crowds that can make the difference between a match and an occasion.
