Pakistan and South Africa are gearing up for the first T20I of their three-match series, set to take place on Tuesday in Rawalpindi. The encounter is going to be highly competitive, with both teams looking to assert their dominance in the shortest format of the game.

For the hosts, this series comes as an opportunity to bounce back after a painful defeat to arch-rivals India in the Asia Cup final. The heartbreak of that loss still lingers, but the return of key players Babar Azam and Naseem Shah will bolster the squad. Both stars have been away from T20I action for some time, and their comeback will bring to the side. However, the absence of opener Fakhar Zaman, who has been dropped due to inconsistent form, will test Pakistan’s top-order depth.

The hosts will look to capitalize on familiar conditions in Rawalpindi, where their pace battery could make a decisive impact. The duo of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah will look to trouble South Africa’s batting lineup.

South Africa, meanwhile, enter the contest with renewed belief after leveling their recent Test series 1-1 with a spirited victory. That performance has injected confidence into the Proteas camp despite suffering a setback with a shocking loss to Namibia. Led by Donovan Ferreira in the absence of regular skipper Aiden Makam, South Africa will be eager to create their early dominance over South Africa.

Head-to-head

Matches - 24

Pakistan won - 12

South Africa won - 12

Pakistan likely XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Usman Khan (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah.

South Africa likely XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira (c), George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Nqaba Peter, Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger.