Babar Azam is back in Pakistan’s T20 team as they get ready to play South Africa in Rawalpindi on October 27, 2025. He’s been out for 15 T20 games, so his experience will really help the team, especially at the top of the batting order. He’ll probably bat at number 3, which is interesting since he usually opens. How he plays will likely set the tone for Pakistan’s batting. Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has had eight T20 matches since November 2020, and the team that bowls first has won every time. It’s an excellent place for batting and scoring runs, so having Babar there is a big deal.
South Africa is feeling good after winning their Test match at the same place, but their T20 team has a lot of new faces. David Miller is hurt (hamstring) and so is Gerald Coetzee (pectoral), so Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi, who haven’t played before, are stepping in. Donovan Ferreira is the captain now. They want to play as aggressively as they did in the Tests, but T20 is a whole different ball game.
Pakistan is also switching things up. Fakhar Zaman is resting to get better at ODIs, and Usman Khan is taking Mohammad Haris’s place. The bowling is still good, with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed ready to cause problems for South Africa’s batters early on. Some excellent bowling has happened in Rawalpindi before, like Usman Qadir’s 4/13 against Zimbabwe and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 3/13 against New Zealand, so good bowling can still win even if it’s known for high scores.
For South Africa, guys like Quinton de Kock, Dewald Brevis, and Ferreira need to hold down the batting and deal with the pressure of playing at night in conditions they’re not used to for T20. Also, Babar being there could change how South Africa plans their bowling, especially in the first few overs. Getting early wickets will be key to stopping Pakistan from scoring too many runs.
The weather should be great, with clear skies and a fast outfield, so fans should see a good, high-scoring game. The coin toss could be crucial since the team that bowls first always wins in Rawalpindi. Both teams have momentum and new strategies, so it should be an exciting start to the series.
Things to Watch For:
* Babar Azam is playing again, and how he does batting at No. 3 for Pakistan.
* Pakistan’s fast bowlers (Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah) in the first few overs.
* South Africa’s new players (Breetzke and de Zorzi), and whether they can handle the T20 pressure.
* How important the coin toss is, since the team that bowls first usually wins in Rawalpindi.
* The conditions: fast outfield, good for batting, perfect night weather.
* What happened in the past: Pakistan scored 193/5, and Usman Qadir and Shaheen Afridi had great bowling performances.