Pakistan host Bangladesh for a five-match T20I series slated to start on Sunday, May 25, at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. The first two matches of this series will be played in Faisalabad. Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium will host the last three encounters.
Bangladesh, under new captain Litton Das, come into this series on the back of a three-game series against the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah. The visiting side has appointed Das as their captain until the 2026 T20 World Cup. He will be judged purely based on his performance until then.
The Pakistan Super League, currently underway, has thrown up a lot of exciting players for the home team. All of them will be keen on making a mark against Bangladesh, which they think of as a weak opposition. Bangladesh have excellent memories of travelling to Pakistan, as they defeated the home team in a Test series with a 2-0 clean sweep the last time they visited in 2024.
Yet, this is a completely different format altogether, and one can expect a flurry of changes from the Pakistani side. A lot of exciting youngsters have been called up to the team, and they will be delighted to share the dressing room with several other top players.
Pakistan also know these conditions well, and will be expected to dominate proceedings. At the same time, Bangladesh can no longer hide behind the facade of being a good spin-bowling outfit. They know that they must do well in the pace bowling department, too. Their batters, led by Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tanzid Hasan, and Towhid Hridoy, have to take up the responsibility of piling up big scores in every match.
Predicted Teams
PAK: Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Wasim.
BAN: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das (c), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali (wk), Shamim Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Tanvir Islam, Nahid Rana.
Key Players
Saim Ayub (PAK): Pakistan opener Saim Ayub, who earned a recall to the national team for this series, will be keen on showcasing to his detractors why they have been wrong in ignoring him. Ayub is known for his free-flowing style of batting at the top of the order, which is extremely pleasing to the eye. The southpaw is especially renowned for driving balls on the rise and doing well on pitches that remain true and bounce nicely. His ability to rotate the strike and hit quick runs inside the powerplay makes Ayub a dangerous candidate to bowl to. The Bangladeshis must be aware of the challenges of going slightly short or full against him.
Shoriful Islam (BAN): He is one of the few left-arm pacers going around Bangladesh. Shoriful Islam can be a dangerous candidate on his day. His ability to get the ball to move back in as well as away from the right-handers makes him a dream to watch. His battle with Pakistan opener Saim Ayub will be one that will decide the entire encounter, even though the latter is a southpaw. Yet, Islam is not just effective with the new ball. He can also be quite deadly when it gets old. He has a lot of variations up his sleeve and particularly likes to employ his off-cutters to good effect against both right-handers and left-handers.
Match Prediction
Pakistan will likely have the upper hand in this game against Bangladesh. Their selectors sprang a surprise when they chose not to name their holy troika of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi in the squad for this series. This means that they are quite confident of overturning their visitors’ hopes and dreams.
Bangladesh look heavy with the bat in hand. However, their bowlers will have to adapt and adjust to the conditions early on, especially if there is dew on offer. Pakistan, meanwhile, look a tad inexperienced save for the presence of Salman Agha, who is also the captain of the team.
Some of the youngsters in the team have been named on the back of strong performances in the PSL, and the management will be keen on seeing them express themselves to their full potential.
