Pakistan national cricket team captain Shan Masood won the toss and elected to field first against Bangladesh national cricket team in the opening Test of the Pakistan tour of Bangladesh 2026 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Friday, May 8, 2026.

Pakistan handed debuts to openers Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal, while former captain Babar Azam missed out due to a late fitness concern. Masood said Pakistan opted to bowl first after assessing the conditions and expressed confidence in the squad’s balance heading into the series opener.

“We're gonna have a ball first. I think pretty much what we expected and that's why we brought in a squad where we have all options,” Masood said at the toss. “Unfortunately, Babar is out. It's a late call. We can't take a risk with him, but we're excited about the two debutants.”

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said the Mirpur surface looked good for batting despite losing the toss and backed his pace attack to deliver in home conditions. The hosts welcomed back experienced fast bowlers Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain alongside in-form pacer Nahid Rana.

Bangladesh entered the series after a 2-0 home Test sweep against Ireland in November 2025 but are still searching for their first victory in the current World Test Championship cycle. Pakistan, meanwhile, came into the contest following a 1-1 drawn series against South Africa national cricket team and will look to avoid another disappointing result against Bangladesh after their 2-0 series defeat in 2024.

Playing XIs

Bangladesh Playing XI: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Ebadot Hossain.

Pakistan Playing XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (w), Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.