South Africa, Pakistan Clash in Spin-Friendly 1st Test at Gaddafi Stadium

LAHORE, Pakistan – South Africa and Pakistan will meet in the 1st Test of their series from October 12-16, 2025, at Gaddafi Stadium. This matchup pits the defending World Test Champions against a struggling Pakistan team that finished at the bottom of the standings.

Both teams are known for their strong fast bowling, but this game is expected to showcase their less experienced spin bowlers due to favorable conditions. South Africa aims for an 11th consecutive Test win, while Pakistan has only won three of its last twelve matches.

The Gaddafi Stadium is hosting its second Test since 2009. Although Test cricket returned to Pakistan in 2019, the venue has seen limited action, with just one five-day match taking place in the last three years.

South Africa enters the match without Captain Temba Bavuma, who is considered “irreplaceable” by his stand-in, Aiden Markram. They will also miss spinner Keshav Maharaj, putting pressure on Simon Harmer, Senuran Muthusamy, and Prenelan Subrayen.

Pakistan is experimenting with their pitch preparations, having won three of four Tests under this new system. However, this has often favored the team batting first. For this match, Pakistan plans to rely heavily on spinner Noman Ali, especially with Sajid Khan questionable due to illness.

South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton is working to improve his Test record, having amassed 638 runs in 19 innings but struggling with consistency. His previous encounter against Pakistan saw him score 259 runs, a standout performance in his career.

The weather in Lahore has transitioned to warm October sunshine, expected to aid in creating a spin-friendly surface. Toss winners will likely choose to bat first.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to start against the defending champions,” said Shan Masood, the Pakistan captain, highlighting the importance of this match for his team. “It will be a good yardstick for us.”

Aiden Markram echoed the sentiment about preparation, saying, “There was a lot of focus on spin play and our spinners getting used to the ball spinning a lot compared to South Africa.”