With captain Faf Du Plessis suspended by the ICC for the third Test against Pakistan for slow over-rate, the South African team has roped in 23-year-old batsman Zubayr Hamza as his replacement. The Proteas, however, have persisted with their all pace attack which means spinner Keshav Maharaj sits out the final Test as well.
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Hailing from Cape Town, Hamza is an attractive middle-order batsman with a healthy average of 49.29 for his domestic side Western Province. He has nine centuries in the 52 List A games that he has played prior to this International debut. Hamza’s inclusion means that uncapped opener Pieter Malan misses with the team’s premier opener Aiden Markram being declared fit for the third Test.
In the opposition camp, misfiring Fakhar Zaman has been dropped for 20-year-old leggie Shadab Khan to give coach Mickey Arthur his preferred five-man bowling combination. Pacer Faheem Ashraf has also been picked to replace the ineffective Yasir Shah who has only picked a solitary wicket in this Test series.
The final Test is scheduled to start on Friday at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg with the hosts targeting a 3-0 whitewash.
