RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan won the toss Monday and elected to bat in the second cricket test against a South Africa lineup bolstered by the return of left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.
Pakistan leads the two-match series after a 93-run win on a spin-friendly wicket in the first test at Lahore last week.
Maharaj was available only for the second test because he was recovering from groin injury. He replaced off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen in one of the two changes the World Test Championship winners made to their XI.
Seaming all-rounder Marco Jansen returned in place of Wiaan Mulder, who bowled only two overs in the first test and struggled against spinners in both innings while batting at No. 3.
South Africa captain Aiden Markram said his team has learnt “couple of lessons” from the defeat in the first test, and that’s the reason he made two changes.
With the Pindi Cricket Stadium also likely to suit spinners, Pakistan included a third specialist slow bowler and awarded a test debut to 38-year-old left-arm spinner Asif Afridi, who replaced Hasan Ali.
Pakistan skipper Shan Masood said the dry wicket encouraged him once again to bat first after he won his second successive toss.
“The pitch is a bit on the dry side, so better to bat first,” Masood said.
Line-ups:
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood (captain), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Asif Afridi.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Pakistan's Shan Masood, right, shakes hand with South Africa's Aiden Markram after coin toss before the start of the play of second test cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Pakistan's Shan Masood, right, flips the coin for toss as South Africa's Aiden Markram watches before the start of the play of second test cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.
Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.
Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.
Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.
Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."
Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.
Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."
Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”
Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.
Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
