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Donovan Ferreira leads a young South Africa against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, aiming to build momentum for the 2025 T20 World Cup.
Salman Ali Agha and Donovan Ferreira reveals T20I series trophy
South African skipper Donovan Ferreira stated that his team will accelerate preparations for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup, with the series against Pakistan commencing in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
South Africa, who finished as runners-up to India in the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup, are among the favourites for the upcoming edition, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March.
Ferreira mentioned on Monday that this week’s three-match series presents an ideal opportunity.
“It is important to build up towards the World Cup,” he said. “I think this is the big stepping stone for us towards the World Cup.”
South Africa will be without David Miller, who was announced as captain for this series but has been ruled out due to injury, along with Gerald Coetzee and Kwena Maphaka, who are also injured.
Regular T20I skipper Aiden Markram, batters Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton, and spearhead Kagiso Rabada have been rested.
Despite having a less experienced side and a recent loss to Namibia, Ferreira is hopeful his team will play an aggressive style of cricket.
“The Namibia game is past now, and I think we need to play an explosive brand of cricket with the bat or with the ball, as we have got exciting players in the side,” he said.
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha also views the series as an opportunity to build towards the World Cup.
“We need to further our preparations and overcome the mistakes we committed in the Asia Cup,” said Agha, referring to the regional event last month where they finished runners-up to India.
Agha expressed excitement about star batter Babar Azam’s return to the T20I side for the first time since December 2024.
“Azam is a world-class player, and he will benefit our team with his batting,” said Agha. “We have good batters and bowlers in the side, so we need to build up towards the World Cup.”
The remaining two matches are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, both in Lahore.
(With AFP Inputs)
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had …Read More
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had … Read More
October 27, 2025, 23:27 IST
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