Bangladesh Bat First against Pak in 1st T20

Saif Hassan will make his Twenty20 debut as Bangladesh opt to bat first in the first match of the three-T20 series against Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka today, reports media.

Saif, who has played in five Tests for Bangladesh before, will form a new opening partnership with Mohammad Naim.

Batsman Nazmul Hossain Shanto and leg spinner Aminul Islam Biplob also return to the Bangladesh side.

Pakistan, on the other hand, rested star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and picked Mohammad Wasim Jr in his place.

This will be the first international match in Bangladesh with live crowd since the Covid-19 pandemic reached this shore.

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah(c), Nurul Hasan(w), Aminul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf