Maphaka to make history as South Africa's youngest debutant

Kwena Maphaka will play in South Africa's Test against Pakistan at Newlands, becoming the country's youngest ever debutant at 18 years and 270 days. Maphaka has played two ODIs and five T20Is, but only three first-class matches.

Temba Bavuma presented an interesting management challenge for Maphaka's debut, saying "You want to allow him to be as free as he can. You want to allow the exuberance of youth to come out." Bavuma also acknowledged that Maphaka will have to learn quickly, but believes he has the talent to make it easier.

The match is a dead rubber, with the series remaining alive after South Africa's two-wicket win in Centurion on Sunday. Wiaan Mulder will bat at No. 3, while Ryan Rickelton will open the innings. Kwena Maphaka will become South Africa's youngest debutant.

Pakistan are reportedly considering an unchanged XI, but Shan Masood believes this would be a mistake, given the different conditions at Newlands. Masood said "We want to enjoy those performances as wins… You want to end up on the right side. The best teams do it because they make a habit of it."

When: January 3 to 7, 2025; 10.30am Local Time (8.30am GMT, 2pm IST)

Where: Newlands, Cape Town

Confirmed XI:

• Aiden Markram
• Ryan Rickelton
• Wiaan Mulder
• Tristan Stubbs
• Temba Bavuma (capt)
• David Bedingham
• Kyle Verreynne
• Marco Jansen
• Keshav Maharaj
• Kagiso Rabada
• Kwena Maphaka

Possible XI:

• Shan Masood (capt)
• Saim Ayub
• Babar Azam
• Kamran Ghulam
• Saud Shakeel
• Mohammad Rizwan
• Salman Agha
• Naseem Shah
• Khurram Shahzad
• Noman Ali
• Mohammad Abbas