Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Abbas lead Pakistan’s fast-bowling unit, while Bangladesh rely on Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana and Ebadot Hossain in the first Test of the ICC World Test Championship series.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first against Bangladesh in the opening Test of the two-match ICC World Test Championship series at Dhaka on Friday. Under warm conditions and on a pitch showing a hint of grass, Pakistan captain Shan Masood decided to give his pace attack the first opportunity with the new ball.

Pakistan opted for a three-man seam attack featuring Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Abbas, while spinner Sajid Khan missed out due to the team combination. Masood explained that the surface looked helpful for fast bowlers early in the match.

The visitors also handed Test debuts to opener Azan Awais and top-order batter Abdullah Fazal. Pakistan were forced into a late change after star batter Babar Azam was ruled out of the match with discomfort in his left knee.

Bangladesh also named a pace-heavy attack, with Taskin Ahmed returning to the Test side after a long absence from red-ball cricket. He joins exciting young quick Nahid Rana and Ebadot Hossain in the fast-bowling department. Taskin last played a Test match in late 2024.

The hosts will take confidence from their previous meeting against Pakistan, where Bangladesh secured a historic 2-0 Test series sweep in Rawalpindi in August 2024. However, both teams enter this series after playing only two Tests in the current World Test Championship cycle.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead a batting line-up featuring experienced names like Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das and all-rounder Mehidy Hassan Miraz.

Pakistan, meanwhile, will depend on skipper Shan Masood, vice-captain Saud Shakeel and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan to guide the batting unit in Babar Azam’s absence.

Playing XIs

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Ebadot Hossain

Pakistan: Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Fazal, Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Noman Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas