Pakistan win toss, opt to bowl first in first Bangladesh Test
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first against Bangladesh in the opening Test of the two-match series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.
Two youngsters, Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais, are making their Test debut for Pakistan, while star batter Babar Azam has been left out due to an injury to his left knee.
The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27, with the second Test scheduled to be played at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet from May 16 to 20.
Pakistan occupy the fifth place after winning one and losing one of their two Tests. They have secured 12 points with a 50% win rate.
On the other hand, Bangladesh are currently eighth in the WTC standings, having earned one draw and suffered one defeat in their two matches so far.
The last Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh was played in August 2024, when Bangladesh claimed a historic 2-0 victory which was also their first-ever away Test series win against the Green Shirts.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Shan Masood(c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.
Bangladesh: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Ebadot Hossain.
This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.
