• Proteas win toss, send Pakistan in at Newlands; Maharaj out

    Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and sent Pakistan in to bat first on a beautiful day at Newlands as Keshav Maharaj makes way for Vernon Philander, who has returned from injury.

    The Proteas hold a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series after taking a five-wicket win in the Boxing Day Test at Centurion. Keshav Maharaj, the hero of the recent tour to Sri Lanka, was left out of the side to accommodate the return of Vernon Philander to his happy hunting ground, Newlands.

    First Test hero Duanne Olivier, who took 11 wickets in the first Test, is retained in the South African side. The big news for Pakistan is the return to action of their danger man Mohammad Abbas.

    Proteas XI
    Dean Elgar
    Aiden Markram
    Hashim Amla
    Faf du Plessis
    Theunis de Bruyn
    Temba Bavuma
    Quinton de Kock
    Vernon Philander
    Kagiso Rabada
    Dale Steyn
    Duanne Olivier

    Pakistan XI
    Imam-ul-Haq
    Fakhar Zaman
    Shan Masood
    Azhar Ali
    Asad Shafiq
    Babar Azam
    Sarfraz Ahmed
    Muhammad Amir
    Yasir Shah
    Mohammad Abbas
    Shaheen Afridi

    Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

    Post by

    Khalid Mohidin