Maresca must drop Chelsea star who had fewer touches than Sanchez vs Spurs

It was far from a rip-roaring classic at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening between Chelsea and Spurs in the Premier League.

But, in the end, Enzo Maresca’s Blues wouldn’t care one bit, as a hard-fought 1-0 win was secured that sees the West Londoners jump into the top four positions temporarily.

Joao Pedro answered back to his critics with the winning strike in the tight clash, with the former Brighton and Hove Albion attacker now out of a ten-game streak of no goals, after placing a fierce first-half effort past a busy Guglielmo Vicario.

Pedro's redemption arc versus Spurs

In pre-season, Pedro looked every bit worth the £60m splashed out on his services in the summer, with goals galore coming his way in the Club World Cup.

However, in the bread and butter of the Premier League this season so far, Pedro has looked shaky, with only three strikes falling into his lap in the top-flight from ten games, before being handed a chance on a plate by a relentless Moises Caicedo against Thomas Frank’s hosts.

He thumped home the resulting chance that did come his way, with the up-and-down Brazilian stating at the full-time whistle when speaking to Sky Sports that he really “needed this goal” to get his personal season back on track.

Hopefully, more and more goals come Pedro’s way in the coming matches, as Chelsea aim to be nearer to runaway Premier League leaders Arsenal when another London-based rivalry is on the menu at the close of November.

While Pedro undoubtedly strengthened his grip on a first-team spot with this decisive winner, there is another Chelsea attacker – at this moment in time – who will sense they’re on uneven ground when it comes to their own concrete position in Maresca’s starting XI.

Chelsea star on borrowed time after Spurs

Alongside splashing the cash on some fresh recruits – such as their brand-new number 20 joining in the summer to up the entertainment levels in attack – Chelsea have also looked towards the next generation coming through in West London to steer the Blues to some captivating wins in recent weeks.

Indeed, both Marc Guiu and Estevao were recently on the scoresheet against Ajax, as the youthful attacking duo aim to be senior regulars down the line.

Guiu will feel knocked by Pedro looking revitalised away at Spurs, but Estevao will feel that he’s even more deserving of first-team minutes down the right flank shortly, when analysing how poor Pedro Neto’s below-par showing was on Saturday.

Minutes played

85

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

45

Shots

3

Accurate passes

20/25 (81%)

Accurate crosses

1/3

Successful dribbles

1/6

Possession lost

18x

Total duels won

2/11

Neto ended up being replaced by the much-talked-about Brazilian for the final moments, after a dire day at the office saw the former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward only complete one successful dribble from six attempts, while also only registering one accurate cross as a gung-ho option that often lacked the killer pass, to back up his rapid pace.

Moreover, when Neto wasn’t frustrating fans with an overhit cross or giving up the ball entirely – with possession given away a high 18 times – the £54m buy ended up just fading out of the contest entirely, with his tally of 45 touches even being beaten by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez at the end, who amassed 51 himself on the way to clinching a clean sheet.

Thankfully, Neto’s dire afternoon didn’t cost his team the three points in the end but Maresca would surely fancy giving the likes of Estevao more chances in the first team soon over the hit-and-miss number seven, with the exhilarating 18-year-old already on to three goals and one assist for the season, despite his limited first-team starts.

Neto only has two goals next to his name, on the contrary, with Daniel Sturridge’s comments about Chelsea putting in an “absolutely brilliant” showing against Spurs for the most part still ringing true, even if the direct Portuguese attacker looks to now be on borrowed time in the first team picture.

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AC Milan join Fullkrug race as agent makes damning West Ham admission

AC Milan are now reportedly plotting a move to sign Niclas Fullkrug from West Ham United after the striker’s agent made a damning admission ahead of the winter window.

The forward has struggled ever since arriving in the Premier League, but whilst he continues to contemplate his future, things have been looking up for West Ham. The Hammers made it back-to-back league wins on Saturday by defeating relegation rivals Burnley 2-1. It followed their 3-1 victory over Newcastle United last weekend and took them level on points with the Clarets.

The international break comes at a bad time for the Hammers, with Nuno Espirito Santo now settled into life in London and gradually turning things around. After the break, his side visit Bournemouth in search of a third-consecutive victory which could take them out of the relegation zone.

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ByEmilio Galantini Nov 8, 2025

It’s also a game that could see Callum Wilson square off against his former club in search of two goals in two games. Getting the summer arrival fit and firing on all cylinders will be key to West Ham’s survival and potentially key to determining Fullkrug’s future.

AC Milan join Fullkrug race after agent admission

According to Tuttomercatoweb, AC Milan have now joined the race to sign Fullkrug, who has missed the last four Premier League games through injury and scored just three goals during his time at West Ham.

When the forward arrived from Borussia Dortmund, there were question marks about his age, but those questions that were answered by the impressive season that he had just enjoyed in Germany – helping his side reach the Champions League final in 2024.

Any hope that Fullkrug could replicate that form in the Premier League didn’t take long to disappear, however, and now he looks destined to leave.

Speaking on the TOMorrow Business Podcast, Fullkrug’s agent Thorsten Wirth made a damning admission about the forward’s time at West Ham, saying: “Looking back, we have to say the transfer didn’t work out. There’s no point in sugar-coating it.”

Meanwhile, when asked about Fullkrug’s future, he said: “This always has to happen in cooperation with the club, but I believe it can make sense to change something there.”

Although Peter Crouch went as far as calling the forward “excellent” at Euro 2024, it’s fair to say that Fullkrug’s time at West Ham simply hasn’t worked out and he should move on in 2026.

As exciting as Potts: 19-year-old West Ham star has "the world at his feet"

CBF anuncia criação do Museu do Futebol Brasileiro no Centro do Rio

MatériaMais Notícias

A Prefeitura do Rio e a Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) anunciaram nesta quarta-feira (29) a criação do Museu do Futebol Brasileiro, que será instalado na antiga sede do Automóvel Club do Brasil, na Rua do Passeio, no Centro. Para a instalação da estrutura, o município vai conceder o imóvel, e a entidade doará todo o seu acervo, atualmente exposto em sua sede na Barra da Tijuca, na Zona Oeste.

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

As instalações do histórico prédio do antigo Automóvel Clube, que é tombado pelo Instituto Estadual do Patrimônio Cultural (Inepac) desde 1965 e preservado pela lei 1.139/1987 do Corredor Cultural, serão restauradas e modernizadas. As obras no antigo edifício já começaram, e serão investidos R$ 36,3 milhões.

– O museu hoje é espetacular e está restrito ao prédio da CBF, na Barra, sem muita visitação. Trazê-lo para o Centro vai ampliar o universo de pessoas que podem conhecê-lo e quem irá ganhar com essa mudança é o torcedor brasileiro – destacou o presidente da CBF.

Apesar do acervo já ser exposto na sede da CBF, a mudança não se trata apenas da localidade. A instalação da Barra da Tijuca se chama “Museu da Seleção Brasileira”, e o novo Museu do Futebol Brasileiro será inaugurado no Centro. Além disso, existe o Museu do Futebol, em São Paulo, que não deve ser afetado pela nova estrutura.

SA20 not threatened by BBL's aim to be second-biggest league after IPL, says Smith

With the BBL set to explore privatisation, Smith says SA20 will look to continue to “dominate” in the southern hemisphere

Firdose Moonda18-Aug-2025

The SA20 has IPL ownership across all six franchises•SA20

The SA20 organisers believe they have established enough of a foothold not to be threatened by the BBL’s aim to become the second-biggest league in the world after the IPL, according to commissioner Graeme Smith.The SA20, which will begin its fourth season on Boxing Day this year and has IPL ownership across all six franchises, has the second-highest salary cap after the IPL of R41 million (US$2.31 million). By that measure, it could be regarded as the next-best league in the global game and with a marquee auction scheduled for September 9, Smith explained they plan to stay that way.”When we started we were built up against the ILT20 and Big Bash and we set ourselves big ambitions upfront,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the closing of player registration for the auction. “In the southern hemisphere window we want to dominate and we want to be the biggest league outside the IPL. Three years in, we’ve set the standard. Every decision we make is around making sure that we uphold those standards. I expect there will be a top number of leagues that will elevate themselves in a calendar cycle and that will be the priority for players, investors and fans. Our ambitions are to remain right at the top of that alongside IPL.Related

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Smith’s comments come less than two weeks after CA CEO Todd Greenberg told that his board would “unashamedly” chase second spot by exploring privatisation. “It’s going to be very hard to chase the IPL, given the scale of cricket in India, but unashamedly, we want to run a league that comes second. And to do that we’re going to need to make sure that player availability and player salaries are commensurate with everything else that goes on around the world, and there’s one thing you need for that, you need money, you need investment. We’d be naive if we weren’t asking ourselves these questions and making sure we’ve got an eye on what’s next,” Greenberg said.The BBL’s move to seek private investment will make it the last of the established leagues to look for funding outside of board structures. The Hundred is the most recent to make the same moves, with deals for six out of their eight teams finalised ahead of next season. While happenings in the Hundred do not affect the SA20 because it is played in a different window, the BBL clashes with the SA20, which could mean a clash over status and crucially, player availability.Again, Smith had reason to be bullish. While the BBL is played at the same time as Australia’s international summer and so does not have Test players fully available, all South Africa’s national and domestically contracted players will prioritise the SA20, even if at the expense of international games. South Africa sent an understrength Test side to New Zealand last year, as an example of this policy in action. At the time, it drew criticism, but with South Africa going on to win the World Test Championship final, Smith sees it as proof that formats can co-exist if the planning is right.”Everyone was worried that we were going to destroy Test cricket but we’ve seen our national team go on a few years later to win the World Test Championship final. We’ve all played our role in the ecosystem,” he said. “We’ve been part of bringing gravitas back to South African cricket, seeing new fans come back to the game and new energy.”Graeme Smith expects a strong England presence in the upcoming SA20 season too•Sportzpics

At the same time, the SA20 also attracts internationals from other countries and last year had several English Test players, who had the winter off, join the tournament. This season, with the Ashes on, could be different but Smith still anticipates a strong contingent.”In the first two seasons we saw a lot of the England white-ball players come through and then with the FTP ebbing and flowing every year that changes,” he said. “So this year with the Ashes, we see some of those white ball players come back and maybe the Test players won’t form part of this season. The Ashes finishes on the ninth (of January, 2026). I don’t know if some of their players will form part of replacement lists but we’ve seen the likes of a Jos Butler come back into the tournament this year as an example.”Buttler, who played for Paarl Royals in the first two seasons, has been pre-signed by Durban’s Super Giants for the fourth season. Each franchise was allowed a maximum of six retentions or pre-signed players ahead of the new season. Of the 36 spots available, only a third (13) have been filled by South African players which Smith believes will create a lively auction. “I expected a lot more top South African players to pre-sign and that didn’t happen,” he said. “From our perspective it’s set up a very exciting auction with a very big purse.”The fourth season of the SA20 will be played over the festive period as South Africa do not host any home Tests this summer. Matches will not be played on any of the new drop-in pitches which are planned for the 2027 ODI World Cup but Smith hopes the lack of cricket this season will result in surfaces with a bit more life in them compared to last year, when they showed signs of wear.”The pitches last year didn’t play as well as we would have liked and it’s something that’s being worked on in terms of revamping stadiums and facilities ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “We’re working closely with Cricket South Africa in terms of improving the quality of stadiums, lights and pitches. Everything is a big work in progress behind the scenes.”The SA20 auction will take place in Johannesburg on September 9. Player registration for the auction closes on Monday, August 18.

فيديو | عادل بولبينة يسجل هدف الجزائر الأول أمام مصر

سجل منتخب الجزائر، الهدف الأول أمام نظيره منتخب مصر الثاني في المباراة الودية الجارية بينهما الآن، استعدادًا للمشاركة في كأس العرب.

ويستضيف منتخب مصر الثاني، نظيره الجزائر على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي ضمن استعدادات المنتخبين للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب.

طالع.. حلمي طولان يعلن تشكيل منتخب مصر الثاني أمام الجزائر

وجاء هدف الجزائر الأول في الدقيقة 31 من عمر المباراة عن طريق عادل بولبينة بعد اختراق من الجهة اليمنى للفراعنة ويسجلها في المرمى.

منتخب مصر أوقعته قرعة كأس العرب في المجموعة الثالثة بجانب منتخبات الأردن والإمارات والفائز من المباراة التأهيلية بين الكويت وموريتانيا.

وتقام بطولة كأس العرب 2025 في دولة قطر خلال الفترة من 1 إلى 18 ديسمبر المقبل. هدف الجزائر الأول أمام مصر الثاني

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Had Blunt Message After Not Agreeing on Extension With Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays were unable to agree on a contract extension and the slugger will become a free agent after the 2025 MLB season.

The two sides had set Monday as a deadline to get a deal done. Guerrero had a very simple explanation for why they weren't able to agree on an extension: "They had their numbers, I had my numbers."

The 25-year-old first baseman played in 159 games last season and hit .323 with 199 hits, 30 home runs and 103 RBI.

Thomas Frank poised to be without "strong" Tottenham star for North London derby

Tottenham Hotspur are poised to be without a big name for their crucial North London derby clash against Arsenal on November 23, with the player’s return from injury up in the air.

Spurs take on Mikel Arteta’s Premier League title frontrunners in a mouth-watering clash at the Emirates Stadium following the conclusion of this latest international break, and the stakes are high for both sides.

Thomas Frank is attempting to guide the Lilywhites to a top four finish and build upon Ange Postecoglou’s final season in charge with another piece of major silverware, but concerns have surrounded their general creativity in open play and plethora of key absentees.

While Arsenal have also struggled to keep their star attackers fit this campaign, with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres all racing to be fit for Tottenham, Frank’s extensive injury list is much longer.

Tottenham absentee list

Problem

Estimated return date (subject to change)

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

29/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Mohammed Kudus

Knock

23/11/2025

Randal Kolo Muani

Jaw

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Lucas Bergvall

Concussion

23/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

23/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

23/11/2025

Cristian Romero

Other

23/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are among the forwards who’ve been absent with serious injuries, and the latter is not expected to return until midway through 2026.

Summer signing Randal Kolo Muani was the latest to be sidelined after fracturing his jaw in their 2-2 draw with Man United last weekend. While the Frenchman, who only just returned to full fitness after a dead leg, won’t require surgery, it remains to be seen how long he’ll be out for or if he’ll be able to wear a mask and play against Arsenal.

Star winger Mohammed Kudus was ‘touch and go’ to face Man United and ultimately left out by Frank, with the 25-year-old also not selected for Ghana’s upcoming friendlies against Japan and South Korea.

There is every chance that Kudus, who’s stood out as their most in-form attacker this term, will recover from his knock in time to play against Arsenal, but the same cannot be said for striker Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham poised to be without Dominic Solanke for North London derby

The Englishman has yet to start a competitive game since Frank’s arrival at the club, playing just 49 minutes in total across all competitions, and his once minor ankle issue is taking a while to fully recover from.

Solanke was forced to undergo small surgery on his ankle problem and the initial prognosis was that he’d be back fairly soon. However, the 28-year-old still hasn’t played a single minute since Tottenham’s 2-0 win away to Man City right at the start of the season.

Recently, when asked if Solanke would be back on the field before the end of 2025, Frank’s response wasn’t that convincing at all.

Standard Sport have now reported that Solanke returning from injury to face Arsenal is looking “unlikely”, and they could even welcome back defender Radu Dragusin before him.

The Romanian is set to feature in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break, which will be his first piece of action since rupturing his ACL back in January. Some reports suggest that Tottenham could even sell Solanke when the window reopens, with Frank viewing the forward as “expendable” amid repeated links to former Brentford star Ivan Toney.

Right now, Frank has just Mathys Tel, who can’t participate in the Champions League after being left out of their 22-man squad, and Richarlison to select from as their readily available striker options.

If injury were to befall Richarlison, like it did for large periods of last season, Frank would be in serious trouble.

Solanke finished 24/25 as the club’s second top scorer behind Brennan Johnson, and they’ve missed both his poacher’s instinct and general link-up play.

خاص | حقيقة استفسار الأهلي عن ضم أجوستين رودريجيز من جوفينتود الأوروجواياني

كشفت تقارير صحفية خلال الساعات الماضية، عن إرسال الأهلي لإيميل رسمي إلى نادي جوفينتود الأوروجواياني، لمعرفة شروط ضم المهاجم أجوستين رودريجيز خلال الميركاتو الشتوي المقبل في يناير 2026.

وذكرت التقارير أيضًا أن الأهلي قدم عرضًا رسميًا للتعاقد مع اللاعب، ما أثار اهتمام المتابعين وجعل الخبر مهمًا نظرًا لحاجة المارد الأحمر لمهاجم جديد.

ويبلغ أجوستين رودريجيز مهاجم جوفينتود من العمر 27 عامًا ولديه عقد حتى 31 ديسمبر 2027، وشارك في 31 مباراة وسجل 18 هدفًا مع صناعة 3 آخرين.

اقرأ أيضًا.. غيابات الأهلي أمام الجيش الملكي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وتواصل بطولات مع وكيل اللاعب دانيال جوتيريز وقال في تصريحات خاصة: “لم يحدثني أحد من هذا النادي، وإذا كان هناك تواصل بين الأهلي وجوفينتود لأبلغني النادي الأوروجواياني”.

بجانب الوكيل، تحدثنا مع اللاعب نفسه أجوستين رودريجيز، وقال: “ليس لدي أي علم بتلك الأخبار، أخبروني بما يقُال عني في مصر وأنا لا أعرفه”.

وأتم: “وطالما الوكيل أخبركم بأنه ليس هناك أي شيء، فبالتالي ليس هناك أي دليل على أي اهتمام من جانب الأهلي”.

Rising star Jacob Bethell takes England captaincy in his stride

Youngest leader keen to “see how I go under pressure” after latest show of faith from management

Matt Roller16-Sep-2025

Jacob Bethell is set to captain England for the first time•Getty Images

“I like it when things come at a fast pace,” Jacob Bethell said with a grin, as he prepared to become England’s youngest-ever captain on Wednesday. It is just as well.It was a year ago last week that Bethell made his England debut, feeling “very nervous” as he walked out for a T20 international against Australia in Southampton. Twelve months, 34 caps, nine half-centuries and a maiden hundred later, he will break a record that has stood since 1889 when he goes for the toss in Malahide to lead his country against Ireland at the age of 21.It is the latest show of faith in a young man who England’s management clearly view as a future superstar. Bethell’s captaincy experience is limited to “a bit at school”, seven games for England Under-19s and a handful more for Warwickshire’s second team, but he will lead a senior side featuring two double-World Cup winners in Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid this week.Related

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He has long been seen as a leader, dating back to his time in charge of England’s Under-19s. Bethell’s schooling, moving from Barbados to the UK to board at Rugby School, and his early entry into professional cricket have contributed to a sense that he is more mature than most of his peers, the direct result of his accelerated development.England’s logic for giving Bethell the role is simple enough. Harry Brook, their permanent white-ball captain, is among several multi-format linchpins rested for this series, and there is little point handing the reins back to Buttler for a three-match, end-of-season tour. Perhaps only Phil Salt, who led England against Australia last year, could feel hard done by to be overlooked.Bethell has not explicitly been told why he was chosen, but has his suspicions. “It’s maybe just a bit of trust,” he said on Tuesday, in his first captain’s press conference. “Another aspect might be, just chuck me in the deep end and see how I go. It will be nice to see how I go under pressure – I’m sure the guys that have made those decisions would like to see that as well.”He learned of his elevation from Brendon McCullum in a phone call last month. “When I found out, the first emotion was pride,” Bethell said. “The feeling is excitement [with] a few nerves kicking around, both from wanting to lead the boys well, and get a win under our belt.” Asked to describe what type of captain he will be, he joked: “A very young one.”That sense was accentuated on Tuesday when he posed with the series trophy alongside his opposite number, Paul Stirling, who at 35 is a veteran of more than 150 T20 international caps. They are well-acquainted from a season opening the batting for Warwickshire together in the T20 Blast three years ago, and Bethell clearly left an impression despite a lean campaign.”He was a superstar,” Stirling recalled. “You could see the talent there when he must’ve been 18 years old. His ball-striking was so noticeable that it was world-class already. To see where he’s got to already in his career is no surprise to me… I know how talented he is, and I’m not surprised at all that he’s here under a leadership capacity.”Bethell believes that his primary responsibility as a captain will be to “manage people” while working with stand-in head coach Marcus Trescothick. “Not every tactical decision you make is going to work,” he said. “It’s about managing the boys well so they feel you’re backing them. That’s something I’ll look to take forward in however many games I end up captaining in my career.”He has admired Ben Stokes’ leadership of England’s Test team – “he leads by example, with actions and performances” – and intends to follow suit. Bethell’s recent form – including a maiden hundred against South Africa nine days ago – has been timely, removing the simmering disquiet in some quarters around his hasty promotion to the captaincy.Bethell said that he has taken confidence from that innings of 110 off 82, even if he did not see it as a breakthrough moment. “It was a nice feeling, and almost one that feels quite addicting. Hopefully, I can get myself used to raising the bat. Once you do it once, you’ve got the confidence to go on and do it again and again, so I think it’s definitely given me that.”That innings came from No. 4 in England’s ODI team, and he was promoted to No. 3 in last week’s T20Is against South Africa. “It’s kind of moulding two positions into one: you’ve got the back-end of the powerplay, and then what I’m used to in the middle order,” he said, adding with another grin: “I think as high up the order as possible is pretty good.”Further success this week – albeit in a different format – will only prompt more speculation about the prospect of him forcing his way into England’s team for the first Ashes Test in Perth on November 21. “My head’s firmly screwed on to this series,” he said. “The squad’s not even selected for that yet, so hopefully I’m going to be there.”There is little doubt that he will be – just as there are few who would predict that his first series as England’s captain will be his last.

Pakistan pick uncapped Rohail Nazir, Asif Afridi and Faisal Akram for Tests against SA

Three uncapped players – spin-bowling allrounder Asif Afridi, left-arm wristspinner Faisal Akram, and wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir – have been included in an expanded 18-man Pakistan squad for the two-Test series at home against South Africa. The squad, though, which will be trimmed closer to the start of the first Test, which begins on October 12 in Lahore.As reported earlier, Shan Masood will continue as captain, and the squad – minus the players who are returning from the Asia Cup – will take part in a training camp in Lahore starting this evening and running till October 8. Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Salman Agha and Shaheen Shah Afridi, the players at the Asia Cup, will join the camp on October 4.The camp will be overseen by red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood and NCA coaches.

Pakistan vs South Africa fixtures

Oct 12-16: 1st Test, Lahore
Oct 20-24: 2nd Test, Rawalpindi
Oct 28: 1st T20I, Rawalpindi
Oct 31: 2nd T20I, Lahore
Nov 1: 3rd T20I, Lahore
Nov 4: 1st ODI, Faisalabad
Nov 6: 2nd ODI, Faisalabad
Nov 8: 3rd OD, Faisalabad

Of the newcomers, 38-year-old Afridi is very experienced with 57 first-class appearances, in which he has taken 198 wickets at an average of 25.49.Twenty-two year old Akram, meanwhile, is almost at the other end of the age spectrum. He made his first-class debut only in December 2023, and has played nine games in the format for 44 wickets at an average of 30.95. Akram has also played three ODIs, in which he has five wickets.The two of them will add to Pakistan’s spin options, which also has regulars Sajid Khan, Noman Ali and Abrar.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nazir, the third of the new faces, is a 23-year-old who is thought of highly in the domestic circles in Pakistan. He has already made his T20I debut, at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, and has played 43 first-class matches since making his debut in the 2018-19 season, averaging 34.45 with the bat.The fast-bowling options, meanwhile, for Pakistan are the tried-and-tested Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Aamir Jamal, while the batting department wears an experienced and solid look, with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel and other regulars joining captain Masood.The second Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 20, and will be followed by a three-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series.

Pakistan squad for two-Test series vs South Africa

Shan Masood (capt), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi

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