On Saturday, the South African cricketers came to Karachi to play two Tests and three Twenty20 internationals on their first 14-year Pakistan tour.
The squad, led by wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, was shuttled out of the Pakistan Cricket board’s airport under state-level security offered by the hosts.
Before they departed from Johannesburg, the 21-member team had two Covid-19 tests. Luckily, both the tests came out negative. And they would be more screened on their officials state that before the discovery of the first round of tests are released. And before they start practicing on a field next to their hotel, the squad will remain in person isolation.
The team will begin to practice training at Karachi’s National Stadium after the completion of the quarantine period, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
On January 26, Pakistan and South Africa will play their first test in Karachi.
The second test begins in Rawalpindi on February 4. While on February 11, 13, and 14, Lahore will host all three Twenty20 internationals.
The Head Coach Mark Boucher of South Africa has demonstrated relief with the security protocols in Pakistan.
“We had our [security] men go there [to Pakistan] and take a look at the situation, and they said it was safe,” Boucher told reporters on Friday before the team’s departure.
“So there’s no problem with me. We’ve got to get back there and start playing cricket,” said Boucher, part of South Africa’s last Pakistan tour in 2007.
Preciously, the international cricket was postponed in Pakistan after a terror act in March 2009 on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.
In the last five years, Pakistan had steadily hosted teams again. And it continued until Test cricket was resurrected at the end of 2019 when Sri Lanka visited for two Tests.
South African Team
- Captain Quinton de Kock
- Aiden Markram
- Temba Bavuma
- Faf du Plessis
- Kagiso Rabada
- Dean Elgar
- Dwaine Pretorius
- Lungi Ngidi
- Keshav Maharaj
- Rassie van der Dussen
- Wiaan Mulder
- Anrich Nortje
- Lutho Sipamla
- Kyle Verreynne
- Beuran Hendricks
- Sarel Erwee
- Tabraiz Shamsi
- Keegan Petersen
- George Linde
- Daryn Dupavillon
- Marco Jansen
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