Bangladesh vs Pakistan, 1st ODI, Pakistan tour of Bangladesh, 2026 - Commentary

Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat are at the crease. Sahibzada Farhan is on strike. Taskin Ahmed will open the attack,

We're done with the anthems and it's time for live action..,

Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Abdul Samad, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi(c), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz(c), Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana

Shaheen Afridi: Actually, I would have loved to bat first on this track. Yeah, the reason is that for debutants, I don't want to put pressure on them batting second. So let them bat freely and we support them. I think for me, like, I'm really excited to see them in the nets and they perform really well for Pakistan and also whenever they play in domestic, they perform well. So as a team, we're excited to see them and they perform for Pakistan for a longer time. Yeah, of course, a winning start is always always important and as a captain, gives you more freedom. So I think, yeah, we just go with the flow and try to give our best. I feel 270, 280 will be a good target.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz: Yeah, love to bowl first. Yes, definitely. I think that night time situation is coming and yes, we think about like that in the chase, we will very well play it and I think so. We have a very good bowling attack also. If we get early wicket in first 10 overs, definitely it will be better. Yeah, definitely. It's, I think, it's the greatest start and hopefully everybody's excited. And yes, yes, the qualify is the most important thing in the home series. Definitely, if we win, definitely it's a good moment for us. Yes, we have three fast bowlers, two spinners and the six batters.

Toss will be up in a bit

Pakistan comes into this game in great form after beating Sri Lanka 3-0 in their last series. They have a younger team now led by Shaheen Afridi, with several new players and no Babar Azam in the squad. Bangladesh, led by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, is also trying some new tactics by bringing back experienced players like Afif Hossain. It should be an exciting battle between Pakistan's fast bowlers and Bangladesh's spin-heavy lineup. Toss and team updates in a bit.

13:15 Local Time, 07:15 GMT, 12:45 IST: Bangladesh and Pakistan are facing off today in Dhaka for the first ODI. Historically, Pakistan has been the stronger side, winning 34 out of their 39 matches against Bangladesh. Their last big meeting was in the 2023 World Cup, where Pakistan won easily. However, Bangladesh is very tough to beat at home. They recently beat the West Indies 2-1 in late 2025 and will want to use their home ground advantage to start 2026 with a big win.

Bangladesh Squad: Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Litton Das(w), Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz(c), Mahidul Islam Ankon, Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Saif Hassan, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Nahid Rana

Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Abdul Samad, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi(c), Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Faisal Akram, Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Shamyl Hussain