PAK vs BAN | Shakib Al Hasan Wins Toss Over Babar Azam, Opts To Bat
Shakib Al Hasan called correctly at the coin toss on Wednesday (X.com)
Babar Azam-led Pakistan will take on Shakib Al Hasan’s Bangladesh on Wednesday (September 6) to kick off the Super Four round of the Asia Cup 2023. The match will take place at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, making it the final match of the tournament in Pakistan.
Ahead of the much-anticipated contest, Shakib Al Hasan won the mini-battle against Babar Azam by winning the toss. As expected, the Bangladeshi all-rounder opted to bat, and confirmed they have a forced change. Litton Das has made the cut, replacing the injured Najmul Hossain Shanto. For Pakistan, as confirmed yesterday, Faheem Ashraf is back in action in place of Mohammad Nawaz, who went expensive against India in their previous encounter.
Captains' thoughts after the toss
Shakib Al Hasan
“Obviously bat first, no particular reason other than the heat. If we can put runs on the board, we can put pressure on Pakistan. Similar to the match we played against Afghanistan, we want to replicate that. We have to be at our best. We aren't worried about what the opposition can do to us. We know their strengths and weaknesses. Just once change. Shanto is not playing, Litton Das replaces him.”
Babar Azam
“We would have batted as well. There's a bit of grass, and we'll try to use that. We are doing very well in the pace department. We are used to his heat, as we've played a lot of cricket. (One century away from equalling Anwar's century count.) I am looking forward to this match, I'll try to break the record, but I'm looking to win this match. Last night we saw a bit of help for fast bowlers, which is why we have an extra fast bowler."
PAK vs BAN Playing XIs
Pakistan XI vs Bangladesh
Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
Bangladesh XI vs Pakistan
Mohammad Naim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim(wk), Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud
 "Ritam")
