Bangladesh elects to bowl against Pakistan

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto have won the toss and decided to bowl first as the first Test against Pakistan got off to a delayed start at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Bangladesh picked three quicks and two spin-bowling allrounders in Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, which left no room for left-arm spin of Taijul Islam. With the team management opting for raw pace of Nahid Rana to partner Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud in the seam attack, Bangladesh left Khaled Ahmed out of their XI. 

Shadman Islam slotted in at the top of the order in place of Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who is out with a groin strain, and Mushfiqur Rahim returned to middle order after missing home series against Sri Lanka with a thumb injury.

Pakistan named their XI two days out from the match, picking four seamers including Naseem Shah, back in Test cricket for the first time since returning from his long-term shoulder injury, and Mohammad Ali, who returns for his first Test since the home series against England in 2022. Allrounder Salman Ali Agha is the only spinner in their attack.

A wet outfield - in particular a damp spot in short fine leg/mid-off region - delayed the toss by four hours, even though most of Wednesday morning was rain-free. There had been rain in the region in the lead-up to the match, and day one of Bangladesh A's second four-day game against Pakistan A in nearby Islamabad had been washed out on Tuesday.

Teams:

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana

Pakistan (Playing XI): Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood(c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali

SKB