The South African cricket team arrived in Karachi on Saturday to play two Tests and three T20Is on their first tour of Pakistan since 2007.
The 21-member squad, led by Quinton de Kock, was whisked from the airport under tight security accorded by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The Proteas players had two COVID-19 tests before their departure from Johannesburg which all came back negative, and they were also tested after the arrival.
According to a Pakistan daily, the South African players and members of the support staff will stay in individual isolation until the results of the first round of testing are released. Later, they can their preparations for the upcoming Test series in a ground adjacent to the hotel.
Pakistan and South Africa will play the first Test at the National Stadium in Karachi from January 26.
The second Test will take place in Rawalpindi from February 4 while Lahore will host all the three T20 internationals on February 11, 13 and 14 respectively.
In the meantime, South Africa’s left-arm leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took to Twitter to give an insight of the tight security arrangements made by the Pakistan officials.
Security is TIGHT! 🚁#Karachi #Pakistan #PAKvSA 🇵🇰🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/SCjIOf22Pr
— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) January 16, 2021
Not just this, the effort of the Pakistan authorities also received a comparison by Shamsi with a popular first-person shooting game, ‘Call of Duty’.
“Real life Call Of Duty. These guys aren’t playing with small guns and they mean business,” tweeted Shamsi.
Real life Call Of Duty 😎
These guys aren't playing with small guns and they mean business!#NoSmiles #GameFace #COD #Karachi #Pakistan #PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/N9kMVTuzqS
— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) January 16, 2021
South Africa squad for Pakistan tour:
Quinton de Kock (c, wk), Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Kyle Verreynne, Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde, Daryn Dupavillon, Marco Jansen.
