Ban vs Pak 1st Test: Form Overview, Pitch Report, and Where to Watch

Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood said it’s not going to be a revenge, shortly after his team wrapped up their final training session before the Test series against Bangladesh. Despite what the captain says, this series does freshen the whitewash in memories.

Pakistan will face Bangladesh in the red-ball format for the first time since they were on the receiving end of a ruthless 2-0 whitewash at home. They weren’t exactly riding on a purple patch at that time, but getting beaten by Bangladesh was still something not many would have expected. And while Shan could be right in not deeming it a revenge tour, levelling the score, with whatever intention, wouldn’t really vex Pakistan.

Quite the contrary, actually. Pakistan are currently in fifth spot after losing and drawing their two games in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle so far. Any high in this series could go a long way for Pakistan as they enter the business end of their WTC campaign.

Bangladesh would ensure that doesn’t happen, more so because they are still searching for their maiden win this cycle. They lost and drew a game against Sri Lanka, but a home series is their best chance to put some points next to their name.

Squad Overview:

Babar Azam’s show in whites was one of the most-awaited prospects of this series, especially after the sort of PSL he had. However, his killjoy left knee injury has delayed that for now. Pakistan named three uncapped players, including Abdullah Fazal, Azan Awais, and Ghazi Ghori, in their squad for the tour. Could one of them be handed the cap to fill in for Babar? Azan or Abdullah could join one of Shan or Imam-ul-Haq to open the innings, the latter more likely.

The duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali has worked pretty aptly for Pakistan, and they would look to continue with that and build a bowling lineup around it.

Are Bangladesh having their fast-bowling revolution? Their captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, is already priding himself on his fast-bowling assets as he believes them to have an edge over their Pakistan counterparts. Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam have found plenty of recent success, albeit in limited-overs cricket.

Taskin Ahmed has also returned to the side, having played his last Test game in December 2024, after which an Achilles tendon injury kept him out of the longest format. And amidst this fast-bowlers galore, Bangladesh have their own spin duo of Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan to match Pakistan’s. The pair led the riot against Sri Lanka last year. Both bowlers grabbed nine wickets each in three innings.

Pitch Report:

Mirpur’s surface had some green on it, which isn’t a usual sight, or at least hasn’t been so for a long time, particularly with Bangladesh banking heavily on their spinners previously. With the sky also overcast, the toss-winning captain should do anything but bat first.

Where to Watch:

Bangladesh: T Sports, Nagorik TV, Tapmad

Pakistan: PTV Sports, Tapmad

Sri Lanka: Dialog TV, PEO TV

India: FanCode

New Zealand: Sky NZ

Australia: FOX Cricket, Kayo Sports

South East Asia & MENA: Cricbuzz

 

ALSO READ:

Injured Babar Azam set to miss first Test: PCB- IPL