Pakistan vs Bangladesh, 1st Test, Rawalpindi: Preview, prediction, likely XIs

Bangladesh had lost the T20I series in the first leg of their Pakistan tour 0-2. They are now back for the second leg, one that will involve a solitary Test, at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium – their first on Pakistan soil after almost 17 years. They will return in April for a one-off ODI and the second, and final, Test of the series.

Pakistan are coming off a 1-0 win against Sri Lanka in what was their first Test series on home soil in over a decade. The series was particularly memorable for Abid Ali, who scored 109 not out on Test debut and 38 and 174 in his second Test, while Babar Azam got two hundreds as well.

Pakistan’s three fast bowlers – Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi – shared 21 wickets between them, all of them averaging under 28. However, it is likely that Pakistan may include both Yasir Shah and Bilal Asif, in which case one of the fast bowlers or a batsman may sit out.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, will be without three key players – Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. However, they will be bolstered by the return of Tamim Iqbal, who registered the highest First-Class score on Bangladesh soil earlier this week.

The bowling looks a bit thin, with Taijul Islam set to bowl long spells. His support cast includes Nayeem Hasan and perhaps Mahmudullah, which will mean hard work for an inexperienced batting line-up. The fast bowlers had not impressed on Bangladesh’s last series, in India, where they lost both Tests inside three days.

Everything points towards Pakistan. A Bangladesh win will be an upset.

Head to head

Pakistan have won 9 of the 10 Tests between the two sides including all 4 at home; the other ended in a draw.

Key players

Bilal Asif (Pakistan): Despite not having played a Test in over a year, Bilal earned a recall to the side with 5/130 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy semi-final and 11/149 in the final. All of 34, he is likely to use this opportunity to cement his place as the second-choice spinner of the side.

Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh): Tamim scored 334 not out – the highest First-Class score on Bangladesh soil – in his most recent outing, for East Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League. The biggest name in the Bangladesh line-up, Tamim will be key here.

Likely XIs

Pakistan: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali (c), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Bilal Asif, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque (c), Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Liton Das (wk), Nayeem Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Taijul Islam, Abu Jayed.

Prediction

Pakistan to win by a substantial margin.