South Africa have rested a number of big names with a full India tour looming, while Pakistan’s T20I blueprint remains murky

Danyal Rasool27-Oct-2025This series sees the return of a star player whose presence in the top order of any T20 squad strengthens it. It also sees the return of Babar Azam.As Pakistan and South Africa go into the home stretch ahead of next spring’s T20 World Cup, it is the presence, once more, of Quinton de Kock, back from ODI retirement and T20I exile, and Babar, back after being dropped from the shortest format, that holds the greatest point of intrigue for both sides.Related

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De Kock never officially walked away from T20I cricket, but he hadn’t played for South Africa since their loss in last year’s T20 World Cup final, until his return against Namibia earlier this month. Having recommitted to both white-ball international formats, he strengthens a South Africa side that has kept much of its powder dry for this T20I series, resting a number of their premier batters.Babar’s return for Pakistan is somewhat more complicated; less T20 megastar strolling back into the side, more polarising figure returning to plug a vacancy that other candidates have failed to adequately fill. He is yet to play any T20 cricket since the end of the PSL in May, around the time his omission from Pakistan’s shortest-form squad began. At the time, coach Mike Hesson had said he needed to work on some aspects of his game and suggested the BBL as a pathway back into the team. Recently, though, some goalposts appear to have been shifted, with Babar, almost by default, finding his way back in without playing any competitive cricket to suggest those issues have been fixed.Pakistan have prioritised the return of their traditional core back into the T20I fold, with Shaheen Shah Afridi retaining his place and Naseem Shah also making his way back in. There is a surprising level of squad turnover from what was viewed as a largely successful Asia Cup campaign, in which Pakistan came to within one over of walking away with the title. Four of the men who started that final are out of the squad altogether; Sufiyan Muqeem and Hasan Ali, who travelled with that team, have also been discarded.There is an inherent danger with assuming any squad Pakistan select is indicative of what they are trying to do, what they might do next, or what they might do in the next big tournament they are building towards. Under Hesson, Pakistan have claimed to aspire towards a more progressive approach to T20 cricket. It is, perhaps, what has led to the recall of Abdul Samad as well as the belligerent but so far rarely effective Usman Khan. Hasan Nawaz keeps his place in the squad despite being overlooked for the business end of the Asia Cup for the more circumspect Hussain Talat, who drops out altogether.Babar Azam hasn’t played any T20 cricket since the PSL in May•AFP/Getty ImagesAt the same time, with Babar’s return, and under the captaincy of Salman Ali Agha, it remains to be seen how precisely Pakistan wish to build a T20 innings. In the Asia Cup they suffered on one Sunday by anchoring too much against India, and the following Sunday by ineffective attacking that got them bundled out on the cheap. There may be deeper reasons behind Haris Rauf’s omission, though it is hard not to suspect the bulk of the weight of that decision was borne by one poor death-overs spell in the Asia Cup final.For South Africa, this feels more like a straight bilateral series than a build-up towards a global tournament given the names missing from the squad. Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs were rested while David Miller withdrew with injury. Donovan Ferreira, who has played nine intermittent T20Is, has been handed the captaincy, while, with an all-format India tour looming, Keshav Maharaj has also been rested.The bowling attack features a mix of the inexperienced and the second-string. Gerald Coetzee’s injury means Lungi Ngidi is the only senior established fast bowler in the squad. Corbin Bosch and Nandre Burger bring pace, and George Linde brings experience. Ottneil Baartman, Lizaad Williams and Andile Simelane are the other seam options, while the budding legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter gets a chance for more game time.South Africa know what it’s like to play against Pakistan with a line-up that is decidedly not first-string. They have had to cope with it in just about every bilateral series between the sides over the past half-decade, either because of squad management or commitments elsewhere. Their depth of talent, combined with Pakistan’s tendency to play up or down to the strengths of the opposition, has generally guaranteed competitive cricket, and that is unlikely to change.Despite this series being treated as build-up towards the T20 World Cup, there is too much cricket to be played, and too many opportunities for teams to be further tweaked, for the upcoming three games to feel like they have much resonance for that tournament. But if two flawed and incomplete sides vying for a bilateral trophy is your thing, the next few days should be an entertaining if consequence-free watch.

On track to become Australia’s first fast-bowling debutant for four years in wake of Hazlewood injury

Alex Malcolm17-Nov-20252:17

How important is the first Ashes Test for England?

Last Wednesday, Brendan Doggett was shivering in a freezing cold Bellerive dressing room in Hobart with his pads on when Travis Head leaned in and said something that sent his mind racing.Doggett was nervously waiting to bat. South Australia were 40 runs from victory against Tasmania with only three wickets in hand, one of which was Doggett.Head decided that was the perfect moment to inform Doggett that Josh Hazlewood had injured his hamstring in Sydney and that he’d “better get ready for the first Test in Perth”.”He was winding me up a bit,” Doggett told reporters in Perth on Monday. “It’s not really what I needed at the time.”Related

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• Hazlewood out of Ashes opener with hamstring injury

“When Heady told me, of course your brain’s going a million miles an hour, and you’re sort of thinking what might happen.”It hasn’t been confirmed to Doggett yet, but what is likely to happen on Friday is he will become Australia’s 472nd Test cricketer. He will have that Test number for life, regardless of whether Jake Weatherald also debuts.It will be a significant moment for several reasons, both cricketing and cultural. On the cricket front, he will be the first fast bowler to make his Test debut for Australia since Scott Boland in December 2021.Such has been the durability of Australia’s big three in Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood, Boland has been the only replacement needed since December 2022, which was the last time Cummins and Hazlewood missed a Test together in a SENA country. Remarkably, Boland has never played a Test in Perth, with Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood playing all five Tests together at Perth’s Optus Stadium between 2018 and 2024.The last time two of the big three did not play in Australia, it was Michael Neser who played alongside Boland, having debuted one Test before Boland did in the 2021-22 Ashes. But Neser was not initially named in Australia’s squad for Perth and has only been added since both Hazlewood and Sean Abbott were ruled out. He was not even in Perth when Australia trained for the first time on Monday. Doggett is all but certain to play barring injury.Brendan Doggett looks set for a debut in Perth•Getty Images

Despite being careful not to make any assumptions, Doggett is well aware of the large shoes he is likely to have to try and fill on Friday, providing some dry humour when asked what he does differently to them.”I probably don’t take as many wickets as them,” Doggett joked. “They’re tall quicks. They get a lot of bounce. I’m obviously just a little bit skiddier, but try and move the ball off the wicket both ways and try to swing the ball away from a right-hander.”I try and emulate them as much as I can. Hopefully a little bit of a point of difference for me might help. But we’ll wait and see.”This is the doomsday scenario Australia’s hierarchy had hoped to hold off until after the Ashes. The age of their big four has been well documented. Item one on the agenda of the annual planning meetings back in May between the coaching, medical and sports science staff was how to keep those four fit through to the end of the Ashes.Two have fallen over at the start and the unknowns around Australia’s pace bowling depth will be unveiled in Perth. But it may only be a one-off.The sight of Pat Cummins steaming in and bowling a sublime spell in blistering 34 degree heat on the juicy Perth Stadium nets raised eyebrows among all who saw it.He got through eight overs with ease, backing up the eight overs he bowled in Sydney last week, making every Australian batter he bowled to look uncomfortable with hostile pace, nip and bounce. It fulfilled the prophecy of coach Andrew McDonald, who had said weeks ago on record to journalists that they will see Cummins bowl in Perth and wonder why he’s not playing.Brisbane is a distinct possibility for the skipper. Hazlewood will likely need longer to recover from his hamstring strain. But Doggett has earned his chance.Doggett took 5 for 66 in last week’s contest in Hobart•Getty Images

At 31, with 50 first-class games to his name, he’s in the form of his life. In his last 13 matches dating back to October last year he has 63 wickets at 20.12, striking at 38.6, for South Australia, Australia A and Durham. In those 13 matches he has claimed seven five-wicket hauls, four of which have been six-fors, including two bags in his only two Shield games this summer since returning from a minor hamstring injury.”I don’t know how ready you can be for Test cricket, I guess,” Doggett said. “But the last 18 months to two years for me has easily been the most successful I’ve been in terms of numbers, but also just confidence in my body, confidence in my game.”Boland is a nice blueprint for Doggett to follow. Boland had toiled in first-class cricket for a decade before stepping seamlessly into Test cricket.”Obviously you don’t want to be missing two great players like Josh and Pat,” Boland said on Monday. “But I think our bowling stocks have been really strong for quite a while, but no one’s been able to break in with the resilience, with Starcy, Pat, Josh and myself.”It’s going to be exciting time, because a new guy or two will get a look in.”But they’re not inexperienced guys. Like Brendan’s coming in. He’s 31 years old. He’s played a lot of first-class cricket.”I think he brings real skill. He’s a fast outswing bowler, and he’s someone who can bowl really long spells. Bowls a lot of overs when he’s playing for South Australia. He’s someone who’s tremendously fit, and if he gets the nod it’ll be exciting to see him play.”It will be a significant cultural moment too in Australian cricket. In 2018, Boland and Doggett opened the bowling together for an Aboriginal XI that celebrated the 150th anniversary of an Australian indigenous tour to England in 1868.Australia has only had two men with indigenous heritage play Test cricket, in Boland and Jason Gillespie. On Friday, indigenous Australians will have two representatives in the same men’s XI.”It’ll obviously be really special for him and his family and the Australian Indigenous community,” Boland said.”I think this gives a real pathway. They can see that there’s two guys playing, and hopefully they want to take that step into playing cricket.”

Big-money transfers certainly haven’t been alien to Manchester United in recent seasons, with the hierarchy forking out a pretty penny on players in the transfer market.

The Red Devils’ transfer record currently sits at £89m, with such a fee being forked out for the signature of Paul Pogba back in the summer of 2016.

However, the club have previously come close to breaking such a record, especially after forking out a deal with £86m for Antony’s signature just a couple of years ago.

The hierarchy have seen first hand that spending big on such players doesn’t equal Premier League success, especially with the Brazilian leaving for just £19m last summer.

That hasn’t stopped the board from wanting to replicate such deals in the upcoming window, with numerous big-money deals touted ahead of the January market.

Man Utd’s hunt for new additions in January

Over the last couple of weeks, United have ramped up their efforts to land Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, with the Red Devils even entering talks to land the Englishman.

However, a deal would likely be another expensive one, with Sean Dyche’s currently demanding a fee in the region of £100m for his signature in the coming months.

Ruben Amorim’s men aren’t alone in the pursuit for Anderson’s services, as rivals Manchester City have stormed into the race to land the 23-year-old in the near future.

He’s not the only big-money player currently in the Red Devils’ sights, as the hierarchy have identified Real Madrid superstar Vinícius Júnior as a potential transfer target.

According to one Spanish outlet, Amorim’s men are currently preparing a club-record €150m (£131m) bid for the Brazilian, with the forward having just over 18 months left on his deal at the Bernabeu.

They also state that the player himself could be tempted by a move to the Premier League, especially given his recent fall-out with manager Xabi Alonso.

Why United’s £131m target would be Amorim’s next Garnacho

Not all of United’s stars have joined in massive transfers, as seen with winger Alejandro Garnacho, who joined for a minimal fee from Atlético Madrid as a teenager.

The Argentine managed to force himself into the first-team reckoning a couple of years ago, with the youngster registering nine combined goals and assists in his first season as a professional.

His next two seasons with the Red Devils would follow in a similar vein, as the 21-year-old scored 21 times and registered 15 assists – one of the best returns in the first-team squad.

However, it wouldn’t be enough to maintain his future at Old Trafford, as Amorim constantly made an example of him for his attitude issues which resulted in him being frozen out of the squad.

Garnacho would depart the club during the summer, joining Premier League rivals Chelsea in a deal worth a reported £40m – a decent fee given his failures in Manchester.

Despite the sale, Amorim could get his next version of the Argentine in January, especially if the hierarchy sanction a club-record move to land Vinicius.

As previously mentioned, he’s constantly had his own disciplinary issues, with it all coming to a head in the meeting with Barcelona, as the Brazilian reacted furiously to being substituted.

Such issues could lead to his exit from the Bernabeu, potentially leading to a switch to England and finally getting a taste of the greatest division in the world.

However, despite his struggles, he’s managed to impress on the pitch in recent times, with his numbers leading to Thierry Henry labelling him the “best in the world”.

Games played

13

Goals & assists

9

Progressive carries

8.9

Progressive passes

4.8

Pass accuracy

80%

Key passes

2.9

Passes into final third

1.9

Take-on success

38%

Carries into final third

2.9

Vinicius has already registered nine combined goals and assists in LaLiga this campaign, a tally that would make him the most effective player in Amorim’s current side.

Tallies such as 8.9 progressive carries and his 38% take-one success further highlight the talent he possesses with the ball, potentially having the creative nature to provide those around him with opportunities.

His passing stats also make for excellent reading, with the Brazilian making 2.9 key passes per 90, 1.9 of which going into the final third – arguably making him the perfect all-round attacker.

£131m would be a massive statement of intent from the board, but it’s a deal that would no doubt hand the first-team yet another world-class attacking option.

However, his attitude will certainly need to be watched, especially given the recent decline of Garnacho, with Amorim needing to keep the attackers’ feet firmly on the ground.

Haaland 2.0: Man Utd can sign "one of the best STs in Europe" for £44m

Manchester United could be about to sign a new talisman like Erling Haaland in January.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 29, 2025

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