Shahid Afridi lauds Pakistan’s ‘team spirit’ in victory over South Africa

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain and legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi applauded the national men’s team for their 93-run victory over reigning ICC World Test Championship (WTC) holders South Africa in the series opener here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

Taking to microblogging website X, formerly Twitter, Afridi particularly praised left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq, skipper Shan Masood, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha and captain Mohammad Rizwan, who scored half-centuries in the first innings, for laying the foundations.

“Superb win by Pakistan against a champion side. Loved the team spirit. That’s how Test matches are won. Imam, Shan, Agha, and Rizwan batted well to lay the foundation, and then bowlers did the rest to seal a memorable win,” Afridi wrote.

After Pakistan’s first innings, left-arm spinner Noman Ali returned magnificent match figures of 10/191, and Shaheen Afridi took a four-wicket haul in the second innings to power their side to a commanding victory.

“Noman Ali was outstanding again with another 10-wicket haul. Great to see Shaheen back in rhythm too. A complete team effort,” Afridi continued.

The former captain then advised the national team to stay focused and strive for the 2-0 series triumph over the reigning WTC champions.

“Now stay focused and go for a 2-0 series win.”

The 93-run victory in the campaign opener put Pakistan in second spot in the WTC 2025-27 standings as they now have 12 points and a winning percentage of 100, only behind former champions Australia, who boast the same winning rate but 36 points.

Meanwhile, reigning champions South Africa had an unwanted start to their title defence as they succumbed to eighth position, only ahead of New Zealand, who are yet to start their campaign.

For the unversed, the second and final Test between Pakistan and South Africa will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20 to 24.