Photo: Collected
In the first Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl. The team management has opted for three pacers in the playing XI. In the spin department, Shakib Al Hasan is joined by all-rounder Mehidy Miraz.
Opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy has been ruled out of the first Test due to injury, and Shadman Islam has been included in his place. Pakistan had announced their XI a day earlier, with four pacers in their lineup.
The match was scheduled to start at 11 AM, but the toss was delayed due to heavy rain in Rawalpindi the previous night. The toss eventually took place four hours after the scheduled time, just before the lunch break.
The pitch at Rawalpindi is generally batting-friendly, but the rain has left some moisture in the wicket. This could benefit the pacers with the new ball. As the moisture dries up, spinners might also find some assistance, which influenced captain Shanto’s decision to bowl first and include Miraz alongside Shakib in the XI.
Bangladesh XI: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Shanto, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Miraz, Shariful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana.
Pakistan XI: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Ali.
Messenger/Shahed
