Revitalised Bangladesh hope to carry momentum against Pakistan in T20s

Fresh off a maiden series win in Sri Lanka, a buoyant Bangladesh side will face Pakistan in a three-match T20 series in hopes of bolstering their efforts on home soil.

The teams will clash in the first game at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur at 6 pm on Sunday, with the Tigers featuring an unchanged squad from the Sri Lanka tour.

In the shortest form of the game, Bangladesh have seen limited success, gained momentum against the Islanders after capping the series with a crushing 8-wicket win in the series-decider.

It was a confidence-boosting win for Bangladesh, who came into the T20 series on the back of a 0-3 clean sweep away in Pakistan.

Litton Das and his men will be extra motivated to get back at Pakistan, who are 19-3 ahead head-to-head against Bangladesh in T20S.

Bangladesh’s batting seems up to the task now as Tanzid Hasan, Shamim Hossain and Litton Das racked up runs against Sri Lanka, but Pakistan’s piercing bowling attack will pose a challenge.

For Pakistan, they will play with a squad that features six changes from the squad that beat the Tigers in their last meeting.

The visitors will likely stick with the strategy that proved successful in Lahore. Their batters came out aggressively against the Bangladesh bowlers, and both their bowling and fielding performances showed noticeable improvement throughout the three-match series.

The absence of all-rounder Shadab Khan might impact the team's overall balance, but they still boast experienced players such as Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf, who are both regular participants in Bangladesh's domestic cricket.

SQUAD

Bangladesh: Litton Das (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mohammad Saifuddin.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Sufyan Moqim.