DHAKA: The Men in Green will look to continue their form against a dangerous Bangladesh side at home as the two sides lock horns in the first of the three-match Twenty20 International series today in Dhaka.
The clash will take place at 1pm PST. The two teams yesterday took part in a practice session ahead of their first faceoff.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 12-member team for today’s T20I.
Skipper Babar Azam will lead the team with Shadab Khan as his vice-captain. Pakistan fielded the same line-up in all six World Cup matches and have retained almost the same squad for the Bangladesh series.
Babar’s side stormed through the Super-12 phase of the ICC’s Twenty20 World Cup in the UAE with five straight victories before they were handed a five-wicket defeat in the semi-final at the hands of Australia, who went on to win the T20 World Cup.
From the World Cup squad, Mohammad Hafeez is the only player who opted out of the team, with Iftikhar Ahmed brought on as his replacement.
Bangladesh are missing several senior players who have been ruled out due to injury or rested after a disastrous World Cup campaign, where they failed to win a single Super-12 match.
Captain Mahmudullah Riyad said his side were looking to start afresh and put the Dubai debacle behind them. “Whatever happened happened. If we think much about it that would affect us negatively. We want to think positive,” he said.
Eager cricket fans will be returning to the stands in Bangladesh for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic forced stadiums to close for crowds in March 2020.
Pakistan will also play two Test matches during their tour.
The two teams will play their second and third T20Is at the same venue on 20 and 22 November respectively.
The Men in Green are expected to keep up the momentum from their strong T20 World Cup showing with a largely unchanged squad for the Bangladesh tour, said skipper Babar Azam Thursday.
“Momentum always matters in cricket and we would like to carry that momentum,” Babar told reporters ahead of the game.
The world’s number one ranked T20 and ODI batter said Pakistan will not take Bangladesh lightly.
“Despite the absence of senior players in the team, the cricketers that are currently part of the squad have experience playing in the Bangladesh Premier League,” said Azam.
“Hence, we will play with confidence throughout the series.”
Babar Azam said Pakistan has six upcoming matches against Bangladesh and the West Indies, adding that the Men in Green will experiment with different combinations during the matches.
Speaking about the different conditions in Bangladesh, Babar Azam said the team will adjust to the environment here and play accordingly.
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