Pakistan vs Bangladesh toss (Source:@WWakas/X.com)
The stage is set for a blockbuster encounter between Pakistan and Bangladesh and the winner of this game would face India in the final of Asia Cup 2025. Bangladesh are without their regular skipper, Litton Das again but the good news is that they have won the toss and have decided to bowl first against a spirited Pakistan unit.
Bangladesh have made three changes to the playing XI that featured against India and have brought back Mahedi Hasan, Nurul Hasan and Taskin Ahmed. Interestingly, Tanzid Hasan Tamim has been excluded alongside the likes of Nasum Ahmed and Mohammad Saifuddin. Pakistan, on the other hand, are going with an unchanged XI that won against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh vs Pakistan: Playing XIs
Bangladesh Playing XI : Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Nurul Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali (c), Shamim Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
Pakistan Playing XI : Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
PAK vs BAN: Captain's Talk
Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan Captain): "We wanted to bat first. It is okay. Looks like a good surface. The scoreboard pressure is always key. We have always done well whenever we have scored above 150. Sri Lanka are a very good side in Asia. Beating them in the last game was a great one.
We always wanted to play good cricket. We will continue that in this game as well. We will try to execute our plans. See, playing any final is always important. For now, it is important to take this game. We want to focus on this game. We want to win this game. No, we have the same side."
Jaker Ali (Bangladesh Captain): "We would like to bowl first. Because, looks like a dry wicket. We have been doing well bowling first, going with the same strategy. Definitely, batting. You have to do well over and over again. With the bat, we have to do well in this game. Yeah, before the tournament, we decided we would go and look to win the championship. We are going with three changes. Saifuddin, Nasum and Tamim are not playing. Mahedi Hasan, Sohan (Nurul Hasan) and Taskin Ahmed are in."
Overall, it is a high-octane encounter and both teams would be hoping to bring their best game on the table to book a place in the final. Bangladesh recently beat Pakistan in the home T20I series and would be hoping to take an inspiration from that in this encounter.
