Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and chose to bat first on a beautiful day at Newlands, as Keshav Maharaj makes way for Vernon Philander who has returned from injury.

The Proteas hold a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series after taking a five-wicket win in the Boxing Day Test at Centurion. Keshav Maharaj, the hero of the recent tour to Sri Lanka, was left out of the side to accommodate the return of Vernon Philander to his happy hunting ground, Newlands.

First Test hero Duanne Olivier, who took 11 wickets in the first Test, is retained in the South African side. The big news for Pakistan is the return to action of their dangerman Mohammad Abbas.

Proteas XI
Dean Elgar
Aiden Markram
Hashim Amla
Faf du Plessis
Theunis de Bruyn
Temba Bavuma
Quinton de Kock
Vernon Philander
Kagiso Rabada
Dale Steyn
Duanne Olivier

Pakistan XI
Imam-ul-Haq
Fakhar Zaman
Shan Masood
Azhar Ali
Asad Shafiq
Babar Azam
Sarfraz Ahmed
Muhammad Amir
Yasir Shah
Mohammad Abbas
Shaheen Afridi

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images