Salman Ali Agha dropped as Pakistan announce playing XI for first South Africa T20I

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled the Playing XI for the first T20I against South Africa, set to take place today at Kingsmead.

The team management has made the decision to drop white-ball vice-captain Salman Ali Agha from the lineup for the series opener.

Pakistan's top order will consist of Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, and captain Mohammad Rizwan. They will be followed by Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, and Muhammad Irfan Khan in the middle order.

For the bowling department, the Green Shirts have chosen two specialist spinners, Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed, alongside pacers Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf.

The series will begin today in Durban, with the second T20I scheduled for December 13 in Centurion, followed by the third and final T20I on December 14 in Johannesburg.

After the T20I series, Pakistan and South Africa will shift their focus to a three-match ODI series, starting on December 17 in Paarl.

Following the ODI series, the two teams will play a two-match Test series, beginning on December 26 in Centurion, with the second Test set for January 3 in Cape Town.

Pakistan Playing XI: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.