Pakistan and Afghanistan Announce Cricket Squads

Pakistan's cricket team has announced its squads for the upcoming tour of South Africa, with strategic rest for key players like Shaheen Afridi to prepare for the ICC Champions Trophy. Afridi will miss the Test series but will participate in the limited-overs matches, as Pakistan aims to manage his workload. Babar Azam and Naseem Shah return to the Test squad, while Sajid Khan is excluded despite his recent success, due to the pace-friendly conditions expected in South Africa. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has included Mujeeb Ur Rahman in their ODI and T20I squads for their tour of Zimbabwe following his recovery from injury. Zubaid Akbari earns his first T20I call-up, and Darwish Rasooli returns to the team, while Ibrahim Zadran remains sidelined due to an ankle injury. The strategic decisions reflect both teams' focus on balancing immediate challenges with long-term goals.