ISLAMABAD – Skipper Azhar Ali hopes Pakistan will strengthen theircredentials — both as a team and as hosts — when they face a depletedBangladesh side in the first Test in Rawalpindi starting Friday.
The match will further Pakistan’s efforts to host Test cricket, whichreturned to the country just two months ago after a 10-year gap with aseries against Sri Lanka.
International cricket was suspended in Pakistan after a militant attack onthe Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009, forcing them to play homefixtures in the United Arab Emirates.
With improved security, Pakistan hosted limited-overs internationalsbetween 2015-19 before security confidence improved.
Bangladesh, initially reluctant to make a lengthy stay in Pakistan, onlyagreed to tour in three phases, having played Twenty20s last month.
After this Test they head home, before returning to play a one-dayinternational (April 3) and second Test (April 5-9) — both in Karachi.
Azhar said the split series will give Pakistan further opportunity toestablish itself as a Test host nation.
“Credit to the two Boards for making this series possible,” Azhar toldreporters.
“Would have been good if the series was not split but we are focused asthis is a World Test Championship match.”
Pakistan are currently fourth in the championship, which features the topnine Test nations and is currently led by world number one India (360points) followed by Australia (296) and England (146).
The top two teams will play the final in June 2021.
“Hosting matches in Pakistan will send a strong message that we are a safecountry,” said Azhar.
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Bangladesh will be without Shakib Al Hasan, who is banned for one year in aspot-fixing case, and Mushfiqur Rahim, who opted not to tour Pakistan oversecurity fears.
Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque admitted Rahim will be missed.
“It’s difficult to play without your best players, but it gives anopportunity to younger players and we look forward to playing goodcricket,” said Haque, who lost his first series as skipper in India 2-0last year.
Also hurting Bangladesh will be the fact they have not won any of 10 Testsagainst Pakistan (nine defeats with one draw), and lost all five Tests theyplayed last year.
Seasoned opener Tamim Iqbal — fresh from a triple hundred in a domesticmatch in Bangladesh — along with Haque and Mahmudullah will beBangladesh’s main hopes against a strong Pakistan bowling attack whichincludes sensational 16-year-old pacer Naseem Shah.
Pakistan opener Abid Ali, meanwhile, will target another hundred in thisTest to equal Indian maestro Mohammad Azharuddin’s record of threeconsecutive centuries in his first three Tests.
Azharuddin achieved the feat against England in 1984-85 in his first threeTests.
Test Squads
Pakistan: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, FaheemAshraf, Bilal Asif, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan,Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, ShanMasood, Yasir Shah
Bangladesh: Mominul Haque (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Saif Hassan, NajmulHossain Shanto, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Taijul Islam,Nayeem Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin Hossain, Rubel Hossain,Soumya Sarkar. -APP/AFP
