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Bangladesh and Pakistan renew rivalry in first Test
Bangladesh's captain Najmul Hossain Shanto (R) and his Pakistani counterpart Shan Masood pose with the series trophy at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on May 7 (Munir UZ ZAMAN) (Munir UZ ZAMAN/AFP/AFP)Bangladesh and Pakistan open their two-match Test series in Mirpur on Friday, with the hosts aiming to complete a remarkable double after their historic away whitewash in 2024.Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has made no secret of his ambitions, insisting his side must post big first-innings totals to give their potent pace attack the platform to take 20 wickets.Advertisement"The important thing is scoring runs. If we score 400 in 80 overs, no problem. If someone takes 120 overs, I also have no problem," Shanto told a pre-match news conference on Thursday. "So the runs are important."The pitch at Mirpur, which carries a grassy tinge ahead of the first day, has set the tone for what promises to be a pace-dominated contest.Shanto believes his fast bowlers hold a slight edge over Pakistan's attack.Advertisement"In the pace bowling department, I would say both teams have good pace attacks," he said. "But if you ask me, I would say our pace bowling attack is maybe slightly ahead, if I look at the last few years and how they have been bowling."Pakistan skipper Shan Masood politely pushed back."We're not going to dwell on comparisons. They've got their qualities, we've got our qualities," Masood said, while also acknowledging the quality of the Bangladesh attack.Advertisement"We're relishing the occasion of facing a good attack and hopefully getting some runs against them."Bangladesh have bolstered their batting with the inclusion of attacking opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim, while Taskin Ahmed returns from injury to strengthen an already experienced pace unit alongside the exciting Nahid Rana.Shanto wants Tamim to play his natural game."The way he plays ODI and T20 cricket, I want him to play the same way," Shanto said.AdvertisementPakistan will take confidence from Babar Azam's rich run of form in the Pakistan Super League, with Masood hopeful that the prolific batter can carry that momentum into red-ball cricket.However, there was uncertainty in Pakistan's camp on Thursday after Babar underwent a scan following the team's practice session, with his fitness for the series opener yet to be confirmed.Pakistan is eager to avenge their 2024 series loss, although Masood rejected the notion of revenge."We must give credit to the Bangladesh team, t...
Bangladesh hosting Pakistan for two tests | AP News
MIRPUR, Bangladesh (AP) — Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto wants Bangladesh to become tougher to beat at home in test cricket.On the eve of two home tests against Pakistan starting on Friday, Shanto also hopes they can continue their incremental progress, their batters rising to the bowlers’ high standards.Bangladesh has only one win at home in the World Test Championship since it launched in 2019. Bangladesh was ninth and last and winless in the inaugural 2019-21 cycle. It was ninth again with one win in 2021-23. Then Bangladesh rose to seventh place in 2023-25 with four wins, an historic two in Pakistan and one in the West Indies.Bangladesh started the latest WTC cycle in Sri Lanka, a 1-0 series loss last June, and has the West Indies and England coming after the home tests with Pakistan in Mirpur and Sylhet.Shanto wants his team to take more advantage of their home conditions. “As a captain I want my side to win more matches at home in this cycle,” he said on Thursday. “If we can do well here and win some matches overseas the performance graph in this cycle will improve.”He regarded a big first innings batting total as a major step to victory. In the last WTC cycle, Bangladesh passed 300 only once in six home tests and won that test against New Zealand by 150 runs for its only home success. 4 MIN READ 2 MIN READ “If we can put up 400 or close to it, that would be good for us,” Shanto said. “But not everyone is able to play attacking cricket and I don’t want them to change their playing style. “It doesn’t matter if 400 runs come from 80 overs or 120 overs. We need 400 on the board to keep us safe. Whatever the condition is, the batters need to grind it out. I hope they will take the responsibility to put a healthy total on the board.”The top-order batter praised his fast bowlers for their revolutionary performances of late, and rated his pace attack slightly higher than Pakistan’s “based on how we’ve been performing.” “Pakistan are always known for their pace bowling but our fast bowlers have also improved a lot and deserve credit.”Pakistan captain Shan Masood acknowledged Bangladesh’s bowling strength but didn’t want to make any comparison.Pakistan has also played only two tests in this cycle, drawing 1-1 against world champion South Africa at home in October. Pakistan will not face Australia or India, and goes to the West Indies and England from late July. Pakistan finished ninth and last in the last WTC cycle but Masood said they still retain high ...
Fast bowling riches in focus as Bangladesh and Pakistan switch to Test mode
This series picks up from Bangladesh's finest red-ball hour against arguably Pakistan's bleakest one. Two years ago, Bangladesh came to Pakistan with six away Test wins in their history, and increased that tally by two in two weeks. Pakistan had never lost a Test to Bangladesh before that, but during late summer 2024 in Rawalpindi, […]
Masood expresses confidence in bowling as Pakistan set to face ...
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has expressed confidence in the bowling attack as the national side prepares to face Bangladesh in the first Test of the two-match series in Mirpur on Friday.
