1st Test: Taskin returns as Bangladesh bat first against Pakistan
Pakistan captain Shan Masood won the toss and elected to field first against Bangladesh in the opening Test of the two-match series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today, Friday.
Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed returned to Bangladesh's playing XI after last featuring in a Test against West Indies in December 2024.
Taskin and pacer Nahid Rana were the two changes from the Bangladesh side that played against Ireland in their previous Test assignment. Hasan Murad and Syed Khaled Ahmed were included in the squad.
Despite losing the toss, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed satisfaction at getting the chance to bat first.
"Looks a pretty good wicket to bat on. If you look at the last few matches, especially in one-day cricket, this has been a very good batting wicket," Shanto said after the toss. He also expressed confidence in the pace attack.
"All the seamers are in good shape. Taskin is back in the side and he is very experienced. Nahid Rana is in good form, while Ebadot has also returned. I'm really happy with the pace unit and hope they can do something special for the team," he said.
Shanto stressed the importance of making full use of home conditions. "It's important to put up a strong performance at home. We need to play good cricket and I hope the boys are well prepared to do something good in this series," he added.
Pakistan suffered a setback ahead of the match as leading batter Babar Azam was ruled out due to injury. The visitors, however, handed Test debuts to Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal.
"I think the conditions are pretty much what we expected and that's why we brought a squad with all options available. We'll assess how the wicket behaves and then decide our plans as the game progresses," Pakistan skipper Shan Masood said.
"The start is always important and carrying momentum into the second Test matters a lot. But for now, we have to take it day by day and see how things go while bowling first," he added.
Teams:
Bangladesh: Mahmudul Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wicketkeeper), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Ebadot Hossain.
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.