It has been only five days since the 2021 T20 World Cup has ended. But the teams have begun their preparations for the 2022 T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia in less than a year. The same is the case for Pakistan and Bangladesh, which had contrast tournaments as compared to each other. He is the match preview of the 1st T20I between PAK vs BAN. 

Pakistan is touring Bangladesh for a series of three T20Is and two-Test match series. The Test series is part of the ongoing World Test Champions 2021-2023. This is Pakistan’s first tour to Bangladesh for bilateral series since 2015. 

The last time Pakistan tour the country, they played the Asia Cup in 2016, where they finished third and did not qualify for the final. Pakistan overall has an upper hand in T20Is against Bangladesh, winning 10 of the 12 games. 

However, those two lost games came in their last two Bangladesh tour. One was in the Asia Cup itself, which was a virtual Semi-Final. The other was the one-off T20I match in 2015. 

Bangladesh on the other hand has enjoyed its home series. Their last two series against finalist of 2021 T20 WCs saw them win 8 of the 10 matches. But at the same time, it cost them. A slow, damp pitch favoring bowlers has hurt them. They may change the pitches, opting for more balance wickets. 

PAK vs BAN: T20 WC preparations begin

Babar’s Men and Mahmadullah’s Men had a very contrasting tournament. One had a dream run, the other not so much. BAN failed to win a single match in the Super 12s. Their closest match was the 3-run loss to the West Indies. 

For PAK, everything went right in the tournament, except for that one particular over of Shaheen Afridi. A catch drop from Hasan Ali saw mediocre bowling from Shaheen conceding three sixes to give Australia a victory. Both fast bowlers will put this bad moment behind them and will concentrate on the present. 

The next T20 World Cup will be played in Australia and their conditions are very different than the ones in the UAE. Babar and his Men will try to go a step further and will target the title while Mahmadullah and his Men will at least improve themselves in the second round. 

Since the introduction of “Super 10s/ Super 12s” in 2014, BAN has lost ALL matches in that round. Not once they were able to beat any side. This is one area where they will try to improve. 

You can find the full series schedule here. 

PAK vs BAN: Match Details

• Date: Nov 19, 2021
• Timing: 1:00 PM PKT
• Venue: Dhaka
• Weather: It will be nice and warm weather, with humidity showing around 50% in the forecast.  

Conditions / Pitch Report: 

In the last two series against Australia and New Zealand, the wickets in Dhaka averaged just 119 as compared to 152 this year. The wickets were criticised for being poor. There is an expectation for wickets to be better for this series. 

Head to Head:

Matches: 12 | Pakistan: 10 | Bangladesh: 02 | Tied: 00 | No-Result: 00

Form Guide:

Pakistan: L W W W W  (Completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh: L L L L L 

PAK vs BAN: Team News 

1. Pakistan

Pakistan announced a 12-men squad on Thursday morning. Sarfaraz Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Asif Ali and Imad Wasim. It will come down to between any one of the fast bowlers being excluded when the final XI will be announced. 

Probable XI:

1. Babar Azam (C), 2. Mohammad Rizwan (WK), 3. Fakhar Zaman, 4. Haider Ali,  5. Shoaib Malik, 6. Khushdil Shah, 7. Mohammad Nawaz, 8. Shadab Khan, 9. Hasan Ali, 10. Shaheen Shah, 11. Haris Rauf

2. Bangladesh

Bangladesh has brought in some uncapped players in their XI and it is unsure who they will have in their starting XI. 

Probable XI:

1. Mohammad Naim, 2. Saif Hasan, 3. Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4. Yasir Ali, 5. Mahmudullah (WK), 6. Afif Hossain, 7. Nurul Hasan (wk), 8. Mahedi Hasan, 9. Nasum Ahmed, 10. Mustafizur Rahman, 11. Taskin Ahmed 

PAK vs BAN: Players to watch

1. Haider Ali, Batter (PAK)

Since his debut in England in 2020, Haider began his career with promising performances. But soon he faded away and found himself out of the squad. But a strong National T20 Cup earlier this year saw him become the highest run-getter, which gave him the pass for the World Cup. Now definite to play, Haider will use the full opportunity to show that he can serve PAK for a long time. 

2. Mohammad Naim, Batter (BAN)  

He was the top batter for his side, the highest run-getter in the T20 WC. But as his career is going, his strike rate around 110s has been the same. With the experienced batters out of the side, he and his skipper better step up in the series with their batting, since batting will be crucial on Dhaka wickets. 

3. Shadab Khan, All Rounder (PAK)

Before the WC, Shadab’s form in bowling was questioned. But slowly as the tournament progressed, he got better and better. His 4-26 against Australia went in vain, not before it was stated as the most impact bowling performance of the tournament. The Tigers struggled against quality spin and Shadab will prove to be a real threat. 

4. Mahedi Hasan, Bowler (BAN)

The second-best bowler in the tournament for the Tigers, Mahedi was excellent in control and giving away runs just above six. He has been a great prospect to the team with his lovely off-breaks. With Shakib out of the series, Mahedi must stand up like the spin bowler head and lead the charge. 

Stats and Trivia:

• BAN’s wicket-keeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim was dropped for this series. This is the first time since 2008 he was dropped for any series from the BAN squad. 
• BAN dropped 11 catches in the T20 World Cup
• The average score in Dhaka has been 119 this year. Otherwise, it is 150 in the last 10 years. 
• If Mahmadullah scores 60, he will become the first BAN player to score 2000 T20I runs. 

Also read: 

ICC Announced Host Nations, PAK to Host CT 2025