South Africa had only two frontline sailors in Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje
Pakistan they chose to bat vs. South Africa
Babar Azam of Pakistan opted for an early morning bargain and a possible extra kick, opting for his first bat lineup in Rawalpindi. South Africa were not too happy with the decision, with Quinton de Kock expecting a little more for his quotas than they had in Karachi.
Nevertheless, in South Africa there were only two front sailors in Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, leaving out Lungi Ngidi for the Wiaan Mulder overall. They also gave arm spinner George Linde another chance as South Africa have once again selected two special spinners. Tabraiz Shamsi, the left-handed player who suffered a back spasm before being thrown in Karachi, was not included. Their top six are as they were for the first Test, with de Kock expected to bat ahead of Temba Bavuma.
Pakistan XI announced no change in their search for a third consecutive test series at home, and the first across South Africa since 2003.
Pakistan: Abid Ali, Imran Butt, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (capt), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock (capt and wk), Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
Firdose Moonda is an ESPNcricinfo journalist in South Africa