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ISLAMABAD: Cricket fans in South Africa and Pakistan will watch their T20I clash today, Tuesday, with anticipation as it marks the return of star batters Babar Azam and Quinton de Kock back to the shortest format of the game. 

South Africa take on Pakistan in the first T20I of the series in Rawalpindi today after the two sides drew the recently concluded Test series 1-1. Explosive batter de Kock, who has retired from ODIs, never officially walked away from T20I cricket but he hadn’t played for South Africa since last year’s T20 World Cup final until his return against Namibia earlier this month.

Azam, on the other hand, is yet to play any T20 cricket since the end of the Pakistan Super League’s latest edition in May, around the time his omission from Pakistan’s shortest-form squad began. The former Pakistan captain was excluded from the squad over concerns regarding his low strike rate and poor form. 

“The first T20 of three-match series between Pakistan and South Africa will be played in Rawalpindi on Tuesday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. “The match will start at 8:00 pm.”

Other than Azam, Pakistan will see the return of pacer Naseem Shah, once a mainstay in Pakistan’s squad, to the shortest format of the game. 

South Africa have rested some of their key players for the series with a full tour of India ahead. Experienced batters Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs have been rested while David Miller withdrew with injury. Donovan Ferreira, who has played nine intermittent T20Is, has been handed the captaincy of the squad while spinner Keshav Maharaj has also been rested.

Despite some major South African players missing from the squad, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha said on Monday he sees the series as an opportunity to build toward the World Cup next year.

“We need to further our preparations and overcome the mistakes we committed in the Asia Cup,” Agha, whose side finished runners-up in the tournament last month, said of the regional event. 

Agha said he was excited to see star batter Azam back in the T20I side for the first time since December 2024.

“Azam is a world class player and he will benefit our team with his batting,” he said. “We have good batters and bowlers in the side so we need to build up toward the World Cup.”

The remaining two matches of the series are on Friday and Saturday, both in the eastern city of Lahore.

ISLAMABAD: A deadlock between Pakistan and Afghanistan persists as the Kabul administration has not given an “encouraging response,” a Pakistani security official said on Tuesday, as both neighbors engage in peace talks in Istanbul. 

Delegations from Pakistan and Afghanistan have been holding peace talks since Saturday in Istanbul after the two countries engaged in the worst fighting in decades, leaving dozens dead and several wounded earlier this month. Clashes erupted after Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Kabul earlier this month as it went after the Pakistani Taliban that Islamabad alleges operate from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. The Taliban responded with attacks on Pakistani military posts along the length of the 2,600 km (1,600 miles) contested border. 

The two sides agreed to a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19, mediated by Turkiye and Qatar, and agreed to hold talks in Istanbul on Oct. 25 to hammer out a lasting truce. Pakistan has sought assurances from Afghanistan that it would not let militants, especially the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit, operate from its territory. Kabul wants Islamabad to respect its territorial sovereignty and refrain from carrying out strikes against it. 

“The Pakistani delegation has repeatedly emphasized that acceptance of these demands serves everyone’s interests,” a Pakistani security official, requesting anonymity, said. “Host countries have also conveyed the same message to the Afghan side. However, the Kabul administration has given no encouraging response, causing a deadlock.”

The official said the Afghan delegation recognizes the validity of Pakistan’s demands but is “not fully willing” to accept them. He said the Afghan delegation is repeatedly consulting the Kabul administration and acting on its instructions. 

“It would be fair to say the delegation is being controlled from Kabul,” the official said, adding that the Pakistani delegation’s position remains “logical, firm and vital for peace.”

Afghan state broadcaster Radio Television of Afghanistan (RTA) said in a report on Monday that “most issues have been resolved” between Pakistan and Afghanistan during the ongoing talks, with a few points expected to be finalized.

However, in its latest report, the RTA said the Afghan delegation attempted to have “result-oriented” discussions with Islamabad but the Pakistani side remains “unwilling to engage seriously.”

“Reports indicate that certain circles within the Pakistani military establishment are obstructing the negotiation process,” the RTA said. “As a result, the Pakistani delegation has demonstrated incompetence and seems inclined to withdraw rather than present substantiated arguments at the negotiating table.”

It said Kabul’s stance during the talks has remained that it cannot prevent attacks inside Pakistan nor represent the TTP, describing it as an “internal issue rooted in Pakistan’s own past and must be resolved by Islamabad itself.”

“The Islamic Emirate has reaffirmed that Afghanistan’s territory will not be used against any other country and has called on all sides to put forward balanced, logical, and reasonable demands,” the state broadcaster said. 

While the two sides engage in talks in Istanbul, tensions remain high at the border. Clashes between Pakistan and the Pakistani Taliban over the weekend killed five Pakistani soldiers and 25 militants near the border with Afghanistan, the military said on Sunday.