Toss Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan
Anticipating early moisture on the grassy Rawalpindi pitch, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto decided to bowl first in the delayed start of the first Test. Pakistani captain Shan Masood also indicated that he would have chosen to bowl first under similar circumstances.
Bangladesh opted for three fast bowlers and two spin-bowling allrounders in Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, omitting left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. Nahid Rana was selected to partner Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud in the fast bowling department, leading to Khaled Ahmed being left out. Shadman Islam was included in the top order in place of the injured Mahmudul Hasan Joy, while Mushfiqur Rahim returned to the middle order after missing the home series against Sri Lanka due to a thumb injury.
Pakistan announced their playing XI two days prior to the match, with four seamers including the returning Naseem Shah and Mohammad Ali, who is playing his first Test since the 2022 series against England. Allrounder Salman Ali Agha is the sole spinner in the Pakistani lineup.
The toss was delayed by four hours due to a wet outfield, specifically a damp spot near short fine leg/mid-off, despite the rain-free morning on Wednesday. Rain in the region leading up to the match and the washout of the first day of the Bangladesh A vs Pakistan A game added to the weather challenges.
Pakistan: 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Shan Masood (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Salman Ali Agha, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Khurram Shahzad, 11 Mohammad Ali
Bangladesh: 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Nahid Rana
