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The first Test of the two-match series between Bangladesh and Pakistan will get underway in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, August 21. The Bangla Tigers, who have lost 12 out of 13 meetings against Pakistan, will look to prove a point that they belong to the highest level.
Bangladesh suffered a heavy defeat in their last Test series against Sri Lanka earlier this year. However, the players will look to play out of their skins and give the people some joy as the country has witnessed severe political unrest in the last month.
Pakistan, on the other hand, will look to start fresh under their new head coach Jason Gillespie. They suffered a 3-0 whitewash in their last series at the hand of Australia and will look to regroup and bounce back in a bid to jump up in the World Test Championship points table. In a bid to do so, they have named an all-pace bowling attack, comprising Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Mir Hamza, and Mohammad Ali.
Test cricket, in today's world, provides some captivating duels between a batter and a bowler. There are some enticing player battles to watch out for in the first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
On that note, let's take a look at three player battles to watch out for in the first Test in Rawalpindi.
#1 Babar Azam vs Taijul Islam
Babar Azam has had lean outings in red-ball cricket over the last two years. While he accumulated only 204 runs in nine innings at an average of just over 2023, the star batter has scored only 49 runs across two innings so far this year.
The right-handed batter will look to hit the strides and get back to form on home soil. However, he will face a stiff challenge from left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. Taijul, known for his accuracy, has picked up 29 wickets in six matches since 2023.
Both players will look to dominate each other, and the duel could have a telling impact on the outcome of the Test.
Notably, Babar has dominated Taijul so far in red-ball cricket, scoring 94 runs in 144 balls at a strike rate of over 65, including 11 boundaries and two sixes. The left-arm spinner is yet to dismiss the Pakistan batter in Test cricket.
#2 Naseem Shah vs Najum Hossain Shanto
Naseem Shah's return to the Pakistan Test side will be a major boost for the team in the upcoming series. He missed the last series against Australia due to injury and will look to hit the straps from the word go. He will share the new ball alongside left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Shah's duel with Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto with the new ball will be enticing to watch. The left-handed batter had a good outing last year, scoring 440 runs in four Tests at an average of 55. However, he has struggled a bit this year, aggregating only 32 in the two Tests against Sri Lanka.
Shanto will look to get back among the runs and lead the team from the front, while Naseem Shah will aim to give the team early breakthroughs. Both players are coming into this contest with different motives, which will make this duel exciting to watch.
Shanto has got out to Shah once while scoring 20 runs off 40 balls in their previous meetings.
#3 Mushfiqur Rahim vs Shaheen Afridi
Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim has been their mainstay in the middle order for quite some time now. He has carried the batting unit on his shoulders every time the top order has failed to contribute.
However, his struggle against incoming deliveries from left-arm pacers will not go unnoticed by the Pakistan coaching staff. They will look to unleash Shaheen Afridi against Mushfiqur to get him out as early as possible.
It is worth noting that Shaheen is yet to get Mushfiqur out in red-ball cricket, while the latter has scored 30 runs off 83 balls against the left-arm speedster.
