Bangladesh to bowl against Pakistan in first ODI

Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in the opening match of the three-match ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday.

The hosts field six batters along with two spinners and three pacers in their playing XI. Pakistan, meanwhile, handed ODI debuts to four players - three top-order batters -- Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat and Shamyl Hussain and all-rounder Abdul Samad.

This is Bangladesh's first ODI series since October last year when they faced West Indies on home soil while Pakistan played their last ODI series against Sri Lanka in November at their backyard. Both Bangladesh and Pakistan won their respective previous series.

The series marks the first bilateral contest between the two sides since 2015. It is also their first meeting in the ODI format since the 2023 ICC World Cup clash at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in October 2023.

A 2-1 or 3-0 series victory would see Bangladesh climb to ninth in the ICC ODI rankings, overtaking West Indies and strengthening their chances of securing a direct berth in the 2027 ICC World Cup.

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

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