Cricket, often regarded as more than just a sport, brings millions of fans together who come together to support their favourite teams. With its rich history of rivalry and moments of sportsmanship, it is filled with a lot of fan favorite moments. There have been various popular rivalries in cricket that have made a special place in the hearts of fans, and one such rivalry is between South Africa National Cricket Team and Pakistan National Cricket Team.
Both the teams have made their own unique identities in the cricket world and have always provided fans with some of the most exciting cricket on the planet. In this blog, we are going to take a deep dive into the rich history of cricketing rivalry between both of these countries. So if you are a cricket fan like us then let’s start the journey of the South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline.
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: Early Encounters of The 90s
The rivalry in the field of cricket between South Africa and Pakistan started in the early 1990s. This was during the time when South Africa returned to their journey in international cricket after a break and started to face off with cricket teams internationally. The first significant match between Pakistan and South Africa was in the 1993 ODI match that was part of the Pakistan tour of South Africa. Both the teams were dedicated to leave their mark on the cricket world through this match as for the South Africa national cricket team, they were coming back from a long break and the Pakistan national cricket team was led by their one of the most popular captain “Imran Khan”.
The match was won by the South Africa national cricket team and no one knew that it was just the start of the dominance of the South African team in cricket. Again a test series was fought between Pakistan and South Africa. Pakistan was able to win a few matches against South Africa during this period but were not able to create dominance on South Africa. The South Africa national cricket team rose victorious in the majority of matches that were held between them.
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: World Cup Encounters
The World Cup has always provided the stage for cricketing giants to showcase their best performance and leave a mark of the team in cricket history. The World Cup matches between the South Africa national cricket team and Pakistan national cricket team has been nothing less than a treat for the eye of the viewers. One of the most iconic encounters took place during the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup as this was the match where Pakistan showcased one of their best performances.
Yes, Pakistan was really good during this match, but were still no match for the dominating play of the South African batsmen and bowler. South Africa defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets and they were able to become one of the best performing teams in that year’s World Cup.
Not only this, but the ICC World Cup of 2003 was also another memorable encounter between the 2 teams. South Africa continued their impressive World Cup performances by defeating Pakistan again and showing their dominance with their amazing gameplay. With players like Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, South Africa was fully loaded to take on any team and show them who the real giant was.
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: The Matches Of 2000s

With the emergence of the 2000s, the rivalry between the South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team timeline continued to grow. We are talking about the time when in 2003 South Africa toured Pakistan for a full fledged tour which consists of Tests and ODIs. It was for the 1st time in nearly a decade that the South Africa national cricket team came to Pakistan for a cricket match. During this tour, Pakistan was the one in dominance, especially in the Test matches. The ODI matches were won by the SOuth African team, but the Pakistan team performed really well in the test series and were able to finally dominate over their long time rival.
After this, the next big match in which both the teams faced each other was for the 2007 ICC World Cup. This was just another format where the South Africa national cricket team dominated over the Pakistan national cricket team. Now comes the ICC World Cup of 2009 which the Pakistan national cricket team won and were finally able to make a name for themselves in the cricket world. After winning the cup Pakistan got the chance to face the South Africa national cricket team in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. South Africa was the fan favourite during this tournament but was not able to stop the winning streak of Pakistan. Both the teams were not able to reach the final of the tournament but the matches that took place between them was a treat for the fans.
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: Taking the Rivalry to 2010s
Now it was the start of the 2010s and the cricket fans were waiting to see some really exciting matches between these 2 teams. Several matches took place between the 2 teams, but one of the fan favourite matches of this time was the 2013–14 season’s Pakistan tour of South Africa. Both the teams were ready to face off against each other in both ODIs and Test Series.
The test series were won by South Africa with a score of 2-0. As for the ODI matches, South Africa also tried to create their dominance there but Pakistan team was able to snatch some of the major victory from them. The overall series was won by South Africa, but fans said that Pakistan gave a really good competition to South Africa.
Now, it was 2017 and another major match between the South Africa national cricket team and Pakistan national cricket team was going to take place. We are talking about the Test series between the 2 teams which was filled with various historic moments. This was another test series in which South Africa was more in power and were able to win it with a score of 2-0.
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: Beginning of the 2020s
With the emergence of the new decade, new players joined the team and some old players retired. There were only changes in the squad and not in the intense rivalry that the teams have. The most significant match of the 20s between the teams has been the 2021–22 South Africa tour of Pakistan which became a historic one. South Africa again showed who was the boss of the Test series and rose victorious in this series with a score of 2-0.
20s has also been special as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was also held in the 2022 which was filled with a lot of exciting matches especially the one played between South Africa and Pakistan. South Africa defeated Pakistan by 33 runs which stopped Pakistan from entering the Semi Finals of the series. Fans were hoping to see another victory from the side of Pakistan just like the 2009 ICC Men’s World Cup, but were left with disappointment only.
Most recently, Pakistan and South Africa fought again in a Test Series which is the last match fought between the teams as of the day that this blog is being written. The series took place from 3rd to 6th January, 2025 and was held at the Newlands Cricket Ground. The Test series ended as most fans expected with South Africa wininng with a slean sweep score of 2-0.
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: Head To Head Stats

As we have already said, the rivalry between the Pakistan national cricket team and South Africa national cricket team has been filled with a lot of matches and exciting moments. Both the teams have their own unique identity and have dominance in different formats. You can get a clear idea of that from the head to head stats of the teams in cricketing formats. So, here is a detailed breakdown of the head to head stats of all the matches played between these 2 giants of the cricket world.
Test Matches Head-to-Head
Total Matches | South Africa Wins | Pakistan Wins | Draws | Tied |
30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
One Day Internationals (ODIs) Head-to-Head
Total Matches | South Africa Wins | Pakistan Wins | No Result | Tied |
86 | 52 | 33 | 0 | 1 |
T20 Internationals (T20Is) Head-to-Head
Total Matches | South Africa Wins | Pakistan Wins | No Result | Tied |
24 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline Latest Squad
Both South Africa and Pakistan have squads that are filled with extreme talent and cricketing skills. So, here is an updated player list of both South Africa National Cricket Team and Pakistan National Cricket Team as of 2024.
Pakistan National Cricket Team Squad (2024):
Player | Role |
Babar Azam | Captain |
Mohammad Rizwan | Wicketkeeper |
Shaheen Afridi | Bowler |
Shadab Khan | All-rounder |
Haris Rauf | Bowler |
Imam-ul-Haq | Batsman |
Naseem Shah | Bowler |
Fakhar Zaman | Batsman |
Abrar Ahmed | Bowler |
Iftikhar Ahmed | All-rounder |
Usama Mir | Bowler |
South Africa National Cricket Team Squad (2024):
Player | Role |
Temba Bavuma | Captain |
Quinton de Kock | Wicketkeeper |
Kagiso Rabada | Bowler |
Rassie van der Dussen | Batsman |
Lungi Ngidi | Bowler |
David Miller | All-rounder |
Marco Jansen | All-rounder |
Aiden Markram | Batsman |
Anrich Nortje | Bowler |
Heinrich Klaasen | Wicketkeeper |
Keshav Maharaj | Bowler |
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline Upcoming Matches
As the time is passing, fans are getting more eager to witness the 2 giants face off on the field again. As of the latest reports the only official upcoming match announced between the South Africa National Cricket Team and Pakistan National Cricket Team is for the Pakistan-Tri Nation Series for the 2024-25 season. The series starts on 8th February 2025 and the last match is announced to take place on 14th February, 2025. The match between Pakistan and South Africa will be taking place on 12th February at the National Stadium Karachi. So, make sure to check out the match and support your favourite team.
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India National Cricket Team VS Bangladesh National Cricket Team Timeline