Lahore: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to bat first against Bangladesh in the opening game of the three-match T20 International series at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Bangladesh entered the series following a surprising 2-1 defeat to ICC associate nation United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, Bangladesh captain Liton Das expressed confidence in his team’s ability to overcome Pakistan. The team largely retained the same lineup that played against UAE, with Mehidy Hasan remaining on the sidelines for this match.
Pakistan is fielding a young team as part of their strategy to build a squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Key players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi were rested. Despite these absences, many Pakistani players have been performing well, as demonstrated by their recent form in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Pakistan has only managed three victories in their last 13 T20Is, with two wins against Zimbabwe, and they have dropped to eighth in the T20I rankings since the 2024 T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, ranked ninth, has secured four wins in their last 12 T20Is but suffered series defeats against lower-ranked United States and UAE earlier this month.
The history between the two teams in the T20 format shows Pakistan’s dominance, having won 16 out of 19 encounters. Bangladesh’s last victory over Pakistan was during the Asian Games, where both teams competed with second-string sides, although it was still considered an International T20 match.
Line Ups:
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Liton Das (capt), Towhid Hridoy, Mahedi Hasan, Jaker Ali (wk), Shamim Patwari, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam.
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wk), Salman Agha (capt), Hasan Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.