- Hassan Ali takes one wicket, Mohammad Wasim two as Bangladesh falter.
- Pakistan had earlier announced a 12-member team for today’s match.
- The second and third T20 matches will take place on 20 and 22 November respectively.
DHAKA: Bangladesh failed to impress during the first T20 match against Pakistan Friday, managing only 127 runs at the end of their 20 overs.
A resurgent Hassan Ali was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for off his four overs. He was aided by Mohammad Wasim, who took two wickets while Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz chimed in with one wicket each.
Afif Hosain scored the most runs for Bangladesh, making 36 runs off 34 balls before he was stumped by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan off a Shadab Khan delivery.
Bangladesh opted to bat first against Pakistan after winning the toss earlier in the first of the three-match Twenty20 International series in Dhaka.
Pakistan has rested Shaheen Shah Afridi from the 12-member squad named by skipper Babar Azam yesterday.
On the other hand, Bangladesh is playing leg-spinner Aminul Islam, and three pace bowlers, including Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shoriful Islam. Saif Hassan is making his debut.
After losing the toss, the Pakistan captain said that he would have opted to bowl first had he won the toss.
The Men in Green will be looking to continue the winning momentum and clinch the series.
The two sides have clashed in 12 T20Is, Pakistan has won 10 out of the matches with Bangladesh recording both their wins at the same venue in the one-off T20I in 2015 and the 2016 Asia Cup encounter.
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 is 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 was 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.
Playing XI
Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr
Bangladesh: Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah (capt), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Aminul Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman
Men in Green to carry on the WC momentum: Babar
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.
