Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and chose to send Pakistan in to bat on the opening day of the first Test on Wednesday. The start of the match was delayed due to a wet outfield caused by overnight rain.
Umpires Richard Kettleborough of England and Adrian Holdstock of South Africa conducted four ground inspections but found wet patches deemed unsafe for play. As a result, no play occurred before lunch, leading to a loss of 230 minutes and a reduction of the day’s play to 48 overs.
The weather forecast for the entire five days of the Test predicts more rain and poor light conditions.
Pakistan fielded an all-pace attack with four fast bowlers and no frontline spinner, while Bangladesh included three pacers and two spinners in their lineup.
All-rounder Aamer Jamal was excluded from the squad for this first match of the two-Test series, which is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) third cycle (2023-2025). Currently, Pakistan is sixth and Bangladesh is eighth on the WTC table.
The second Test, originally scheduled for Karachi, will now be held in Rawalpindi from August 30 due to ongoing construction work at the Karachi stadium.
Teams:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Adrian Holdstock (RSA)
TV Umpire: Michael Gough (ENG)
