Pakistan National Cricket Team’s strategy to defeat Bangladesh National Cricket Team in the first Test match has been revealed as the Men in Green’s playing XI combination came out.
The first Test match of Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan 2024 is scheduled to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from August 21. The action will then shift to the second Test, which will be held at the National Stadium in Karachi from August 30. These two Test matches will be a part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle and it will be very crucial for both teams to go for the win if they are to aim to secure a place in the WTC showpiece clash.
Notably, the Karachi Test match will be played without spectators due to ongoing construction work at the venue, which is being carried out keeping in mind the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
This will be the first international encounter for both teams since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where the teams failed to perform well. Under the leadership of Babar Azam, the Men In Green were knocked out of the competition in the group stage, while the Bangla Tigers made it to the Super Eights but played timid cricket.
Coming back to the Test matches, the PCB selection committee has named a high-paced squad for the series with just one frontline bowler, Abrar Ahmed. There are as many as six fast-bowling options in the squad, which gives a clear hint that there will be pitches suited to seam bowlers.
Only specialist bowler Abrar Ahmed unlikely to get chance to play: Pakistan management plans big gamble
According to a PTI report, the Pakistan team management is likely to come up with an all-out attack against the Bangladesh team due to the forecast of rain and cloudy conditions. It is noteworthy that the Pakistan Meteorological Department has predicted rain of varying intensity throughout the five days of the first Test.
According to the same report, Abrar Ahmed will continue to warm the bench despite having expressed his desire to become the team’s main bowler and show brilliant performances in the limited opportunities he received.
The Shan Masood-led side is likely to opt for Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza and Khurram Shahzad in the bowling unit, with all-rounder Agha Salman being the only spin bowling option.
“The only specialist bowler, Abrar Ahmed, is unlikely to get a chance to play due to the weather.
“Even in the four-day match in Islamabad, Bangladesh A were bowled out with little effort on a pitch that favoured fast bowlers,” a source close to the selectors said, according to PTI.
Also, 22-year-old batsman Muhammad Hurraira is fit to make his debut in the series against Bangladesh as he has impressed the Pakistan team management with his performances. The youngster has been in good form recently and even scored a double against Bangladesh A in Darwin in July.
Pakistan’s probable eleven for the first test against Bangladesh: Abdullah Shafique, Muhammad Hurraira, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza and Khurrum Shahzad or Mohammad Ali.
