After losing to the UAE in the three-match T20I series last week, Bangladesh have now toured Pakistan for as many matches. The two teams will be in action from today and the first match will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Here’s the pitch report
The three-match T20I series between Bangladesh and Pakistan is all set to get underway today with the opening game scheduled to take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. This was supposed to be the five-match T20I series, but with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) extending until May 25, both cricket boards agreed to trim the series to three matches.
Pakistan players are coming off fruitful stints for their respective PSL franchises and have played a lot of T20 cricket in recent days. Moreover, the squad picked for this series has been based on the performances in the PSL. The likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi have been left out. Salman Agha continues to be the captain of the team while Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman have made a comeback. There is some continuity in the squad as some of the players from the New Zealand tour have been retained as well.
As for Bangladesh, not much changed. They won the first T20I against the UAE but ended up losing the next two to botch up the series for the first time against them. However, they have backed a similar squad and with Mustafizur Rahman back after a short stint in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals, their bowling is strengthened.
Lahore Pitch Report
All the PSL 2025 playoff matches were played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and all of them turned out to be high-scoring encounters. 209 was the highest score registered, while in the final, 202 runs were chased down. Another good pitch is expected for this encounter as international cricket resumes. The team winning the toss is likely to bowl first thanks to the recent record at the venue.
Lahore – T20I Numbers Game (Last 5 matches)
Matches Played – 5
Matches won batting 1st – 2
Matches won bowling 1st – 3
Average first inns score – 192
Highest score chased – 202
Squads
Pakistan – Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (C), Irfan Khan, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Hasan Ali, Abrar Ahmed
Bangladesh – Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Jaker Ali, Parvez Hossain Emon, Liton Das (C), Tanvir Islam, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Khaled Ahmed