Pakistan face Bangladesh in 1st T20I: Preview and stats
What's the story
Pakistan will take on Bangladesh in the first of a three-match T20I series on July 20 (Sunday). The match will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka and is scheduled to start at 5:30pm IST. Notably, Pakistan boast a dominant record against Bangladesh in T20Is. However, Bangladesh will be buoyed by their recent T20I series win over Sri Lanka earlier this month. Here is the match preview.
Conditions
Weather report and pitch conditions
The weather in Dhaka on Sunday predicts a 94% chance of rain, with a maximum temperature of 33°C and minimum of 27°C. Meanwhile, the pitch at Shere Bangla National Stadium is known to favor bowlers, particularly spinners. Out of 75 T20Is played here, the team batting first has won 39 times while the chasing side has emerged victorious on 36 occasions. So, winning the toss and opting to bat first could be a good strategy for both teams.
H2H
Here's the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, the two teams have met 22 times in T20I cricket, with Pakistan having a significant lead with 19 wins as compared to Bangladesh's three. The Men in Green have won five of their seven away T20Is against the Tigers. Notably, Pakistan humiliated Bangladesh with a 3-0 T20I series triumph at home earlier this year.
Recent form
Can Bangladesh continue their rhythm?
Bangladesh's batting lineup performed well in their last two matches against Sri Lanka, with captain Litton Das, Shamim Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, and Tanzid Hasan all contributing significantly. Tanzid scored an impressive 73 not out in the third T20I. However, despite these performances, Bangladesh can still struggle with consistency on the slow and low pitches of Dhaka.
Pakistan
Pakistan aim to play an aggressive brand of cricket
Team Pakistan plans to continue their aggressive approach that has been part of their general strategy. Head coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Agha want the team to score as many runs as possible in the first six overs of T20Is. However, they lack genuine middle-order players who can take on the opposition, as the batting unit is stacked with top-order players.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
Bangladesh (Probable XI): Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (c & wk), Twohid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman. Pakistan (Probable XI): Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Harris (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha (c), Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Bangladesh opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim slammed a solid 73* in the deciding T20I against Sri Lanka. Mahedi Hasan claimed a match-winning four-wicket haul in that match. Litton Das scored 114 runs in that series and a fine strike rate of 131.03. Fakhar Zaman has scored 662 T20 runs in 2025 at a strike rate of 145.17. Abrar Ahmed has scalped 25 T20 wickets this year at 20.28.
Poll
