This series was originally supposed to have three T20Is and two one-dayers, but ODI games without any 50-over World Cup in the succeeding year seem scandalous. And so, they were done away with, replaced by two more socially acceptable, relevant, and time-saving T20I games. But, as fate would have it, even those two added games had to be dropped to make room for whatever could be salvaged of this series between the extended version of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Bangladesh’s all-format tour of Sri Lanka in June.
Bangladesh and Pakistan mirrored each other in their recent shoddy outings in T20Is. Barring their wins against Zimbabwe and Ireland, Pakistan haven’t won any bilateral series since the 2022 T20 World Cup, where they played the final. Consistency, as far as Pakistan are concerned, has only been in their dismal form, with personnel regularly checking in and out. Since the start of 2024, Pakistan have run through three captains, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan, and now they are onto their fourth, Salman Ali Agha, who, for all Pakistan care, could take only a few series defeats before finding his way out.
With Mike Hesson coming in, Pakistan are upbeat for a new era, similar to how they were when Gary Kirsten came in. However, they aren’t alone in this gloom and doom. Bangladesh have been going through somewhat similar struggles. They come off a fresh 2-0 defeat against UAE, and an injury-hit fast bowling camp adds more to their worries.
Team Overview:
Taskin Ahmed, Soumya Sarkar, and Mustafizur Rahman will all sit the series out with their injuries. In addition to them, Nahid Rana has opted out of the tour due to personal reasons, weakening the team’s fast-bowling attack further. Bangladesh Premier League’s (BPL) joint-second-highest wicket-taker, Khaled Ahmed, has been given his maiden call-up. He, along with Tanzim Hasan and Hasan Mahmud, will form a pace attack led by Shoriful Islam. Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan were probably the only bright spots for Bangladesh on their recent tour, but still way behind when it comes to bigger teams.
Pakistan have once again decided to bank on a RizBar-less side, but with a handful of more experienced players returning to the team. Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub will likely open for the side, with Mohammad Haris coming in at No. 3. The PSL-winning captain, Shaheen Afridi, was also left out of the series. Mohammad Wasim Jr., who was sidelined with an injury, has been replaced by Abbas Afridi, though he isn’t a certain starter.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Pakistan have only lost to Bangladesh thrice in T20I games, while winning the remaining 16 games.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Lahore hosted the playoff stages of the PSL in its entirety, and so a fresh pitch for this game wouldn’t really be a shiny new turf. The venue had plenty on offer for batters, but with the new ball, fast bowlers were a menace to face. The average first-innings total here is 193, but the 200-run mark was breached quite a few times during the PSL.
Prediction:
Pakistan have a dominant history against Bangladesh, and that might just help them get off to a winning start in this series.
Where to watch:
Pakistan: Tamasha, Tapmad
North America: WILLOW
Africa: SuperSport
Bangladesh: T SPORTS, Tapmad
UK: ARY DIGITAL
MENA: cricbuzz
Sri Lanka: Dialog
