LAHORE – Pakistan’s top slot in the ICC T20 International Rankings indanger.
Bangladesh on Friday have won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistanin first Twenty20 that is being played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
If the host team lose just one of the three matches scheduled they willslide to second behind England or India in the rankings after holding thetop spot since January 2018.
But they also want to show the security situation has improved enough forthe team to start regularly hosting home internationals.
Following an attack in 2009 by militants on a convoy ferrying the Sri Lankateam to a fixture in Lahore, Pakistan became a wilderness for the nationalside who had to play home fixtures in the Middle East. That ended inDecember when Sri Lanka returned to give Pakistan their first home seriesin a decade.
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The first priority for skipper Babar Azam is to stay top of the world inthe shortest international version of the game. “The focus is to continuethe number one ranking,” said Babar on Thursday. “We can hang on to thatonly if we win all three matches, so its a do-or-die situation and we haveplanned for that,” he told a press conference.
Pakistan s rise started in 2016 under Sarfaraz Ahmed as they won elevenconsecutive Twenty20 series — before losing three on the trot.
