Bangladesh Are Tough at Home, But We’re Ready: Agha Salman

Dhaka:  Pakistan captain Agha Salman expressed confidence ahead of the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, stating that the team has adapted a new playing style and is prepared to tackle the local conditions.

“We’ve changed our playing approach, but reading the conditions is key. If the conditions allow us to play aggressively, we’ll do that. Otherwise, we’ll adapt accordingly,” said Salman.

“During training, we tried to simulate match situations to be better prepared. Bangladesh are always a tough side, especially in home conditions, but we are very excited to play here,” he added.

This is Agha Salman’s fourth T20I series as captain. Under his leadership, Pakistan has previously defeated Zimbabwe (2-1) and Bangladesh (3-0), while losing to New Zealand (1-4).

The 16-member Pakistan squad includes Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris (WK), Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Abbas Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, and Salman Mirza. Notably, Daniyal and Salman Mirza have earned their maiden call-ups to the national squad.

This will be the second series for Pakistan’s white-ball coach Mike Hesson.

Before arriving in Dhaka, the Pakistan team underwent rigorous training at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, followed by practice sessions in Dhaka.

On the other hand, Bangladesh will be led by Litton Das and is coming into the series after winning a T20I series 2-1 against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Historically, Pakistan has dominated T20Is against Bangladesh, winning 19 of the 22 matches played. Notably, Pakistan has won all five T20Is played in bilateral series in Bangladesh. In the most recent encounter between the two teams in May-June in Pakistan, the hosts achieved a clean sweep 3-0.