Latest News & Developments
With doubt over the fitness of Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi, here are five players that must shine for the Proteas in Lahore.
Whatever advantage the Proteas have over their opposition with their pace lineup may be negated by the flat pitches and that's where spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj could make a difference.
Both times in the Tri-Nation series, South Africa managed totals of over 300 (304 and 352) but their opposition had little difficult in chasing down the big scores.
As the Proteas prepare for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, the team faces critical decisions on player selection, particularly the inclusion of all-rounders to optimise performance on batting-friendly pitches. "
While much of the reaction to the Proteas becoming the first team to qualify for the WTC final, centred on their playing schedule - the focus has now shifted to how they will approach the trophy match in six months time.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma is backing the youngster Kwena Maphaka to step up against Pakistan in the festive occasion at Newlands.
Wiaan Mulder says he finally feels like he belongs in the Proteas Test side after a stop-start Test career.
Teenage sensation Kwena Maphaka and Corbin Bosch were the new faces included in the squad.
The injury to Gerald Coetzee has presented the Proteas management a bit of a selection headache heading into the second Test starting on Thursday in Gqeberha.
The Proteas beat Sri Lanka by 233 runs in the first Test at Kingsmead in Durban on Saturday to take a 1-0 series lead.