The central contracts stand-off between Pakistan Cricket Board and top national players ended on Wednesday.
At stumps, Pakistan's score read 145/3 with Fawad and Babar unbeaten on 42 and 77 runs respectively. For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj picked two, Anrich Nortje took one while Kagiso Rabada went wicketless.
With stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan sidelined, it will be a test of character for the Salman Agha-led Pakistan side.
Earlier, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar had made an appeal to his fans in Pakistan to come forward and help India in tackling the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Babar has taken just 76 innings to score 13 tons while Amla, who until now was the fastest, had scored his 13th ODI hundred in 83 innings. Kohli had taken 86 innings to score 13 ODI hundreds.
India captain Rohit Sharma has climbed to second place in the ICC men's ODI batting rankings, closing in on top-ranked Shubman Gill.
Afridi said Rohit instils a sense of self-belief in his team with his aggressive style of play.
'This team was incredibly difficult to select over such a highly competitive tournament. Selections were based predominantly on the Super 12 onward to the final.'
Young India opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy continued to occupy the top spots among batters and bowlers in the latest ICC Men's T20 Players' Rankings issued on Wednesday.
Babar Azam would have to learn from how Kohli had handled his captaincy responsibilities.
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
Experienced wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan's captaincy in the 50-overs format could be on the line when a joint meeting of the national selection committee and advisory board of the Pakistan Cricket Board is held on Monday in Lahore.
South Africa romped to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan on the fourth day of the second Test on Thursday, claiming victory before lunch to level the two-match series.
Pakistan named Babar Azam as their new captain in one-day internationals, putting the elegant batsman in charge of both their limited-overs teams after a stellar year with the bat. The top order batsman, who took over Twenty20 captaincy earlier this year, succeeds Sarfaraz Ahmed as Pakistan's white-ball leader while Azhar Ali also got an extension as skipper of the Test side for the 2020-21 season.
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan believes it is at least five years too early to compare Virat Kohli and Babar Azam as the Indian skipper has proven himself in "every kind of situation" while the latter has not. Younis believes the young Babar still has a long way to go.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam hailed his team's pace bowling unit, saying the fast bowlers would boost the side's confidence ahead of its Super Sunday clash against arch-rivals India.
India have lost only once to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in seven meetings, their only defeat coming in 2021 when the Virat Kohli-led side lost by 10 wickets at the Super 12 stage.
A haul of eight hundred and 17 fifties during the calendar year was Babar's best of his career to date.
Pakistan moved themselves into a strong position, needing eight wickets to win while South Africa are chasing an imposing target as the first Test headed for an exciting conclusion.
Harry Brook ton leads England to nervy win over Pakistan and T20 World Cup semifinals.
Babar Azam stood firm amid a batting collapse to compile his seventh Test hundred
The run-up to the marquee event has been chaotic to say the least with change in captaincy, shuffling of the top-order and players coming out of retirement.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has criticized Babar Azam for focusing on personal milestones over team success, expressing concerns about Pakistan's preparations ahead of their crucial Champions Trophy clash against India. He believes Pakistan's recent struggles, including a disappointing Tri-Nation Series campaign and a 1-1 draw against the West Indies in a home Test series, point to a lack of readiness for the India encounter.
South Africa fought a rearguard action to turn the second Test against Pakistan on its head and take the upper hand after an enthralling third day's play on Wednesday.
Babar's injury came a day after top-order batsman Imam-ul-Haq fractured his left thumb, also during a practice session.
If rain leads to a shortened game, Babar and his boys are ready.
In the longest format of the game, Babar is ranked fifth in the world, behind Australia's Marnus Labuschagne and the 'Big Four' of India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
Pakistan's T20 captain, Salman Ali Agha, remains optimistic despite his team's 1-4 series loss to New Zealand, believing the new faces tried out in the matches will eventually come through.
'The Indian top order should observe Babar and Kane to understand how to handle pacers when the ball is moving around. Both of them possess exceptional skills in playing late.'
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup match played between Pakistan and Ireland in Lauderhill, USA on Sunday.
While Kohli has slipped to 10th on the ICC rankings, the Indian great continues to hold a remarkable Test batting record. He has scored 27 Test centuries and 28 half-centuries and currently has a Test batting average of just under 50.
Former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair also lashed out, alleging Naqvi dropped Pakistan's top players, leading to team's three consecutive defeats at the hands of arch-rivals India.
Pakistan's batting mainstay Babar Azam knows he might be a bit rusty after the extended break from competitive cricket during the coronavirus shutdown but he is confident his strong basics will help him quickly get back up to speed. The elegant right-hander has been cooling his heels at home since playing a Pakistan Super League match last month as professional cricket remains suspended due to the pandemic.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has delayed the announcement of its World Cup squad until late May due to fitness and performance issues with some players.
Pakistan left-handed batter Fawad Alam and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi have achieved career-best positions in the ICC Men's Test Player Rankings after helping Pakistan win the second Test against the West Indies in Kingston to draw their two-match ICC World Test Championship series 1-1.
K L Rahul blazed his way to a century against Gujarat Titans in Delhi on Sunday, etching his name in the record books despite his team's 10-wicket defeat.
Babar Azam announced that he will be stepping down as the white-ball captain of the Pakistan cricket team, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is likely to take his place
The Pakistan Cricket Board in a bid to attract more crowds to the Test match have for the first time announced free entry for several enclosures.
Babar Azam has led Pakistan team well in the ongoing T20 World Cup and doesn't need to do anything differently in the semi-final against Australia on Thursday, PCB chairman and former skipper Ramiz Raja said on the eve of the game.
Defending champions India look to do something they have never done in World Cups and retain the trophy.
