After 17 years, international cricket has returned to Faisalabad, where Pakistan and South Africa will face each other today in the first One Day International (ODI) at Iqbal Stadium.
Shaheen Afridi will captain the national team for the first time in ODI cricket. He called it an honor to lead the side and said that Babar Azam’s return to form was very important for Pakistan.
The trophy for the series has been unveiled. Both teams held extensive practice sessions before the match.
1️⃣ day to go before the start of the ODI series 📸
Final preps completed ahead of the action in Faisalabad🏏#PAKvSA | #GreenPeYaqeen pic.twitter.com/lTu1Gf6dbs
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 3, 2025
The last international match at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium was played in 2008 between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
It is worth mentioning that earlier, under the captaincy of Salman Ali Agha, the national team won the three-match T20 series against South Africa by two matches to one.
In the third and final T20 match on Saturday, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl. South Africa scored 139 runs in 20 overs, and Pakistan successfully chased the target of 140 runs in 19 overs with six wickets in hand.
