The stage is set for one of the most anticipated series in Asia to get underway. It is the battle of two brothers and neighbours as Bangladesh are set to host Pakistan in a short but important 3-match ODI series with all matches scheduled to be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. This is an important series for Bangladesh as they are languishing currently as we speak in 10th place and the cut-off is top 8 teams alongside hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe.
South Africa are already in top 8 currently in 5th place, which means the 10th place is in danger as Zimbabwe being co-hosts will qualify ahead of the 10th placed team despite being behind in points. Bangladesh are one point behind West Indies making this series very important for them as a positive result could see the Tigers leapfrog West Indies. It seems, one of West Indies or Bangladesh will have to play Qualifiers to get into the 14-team World Cup.
No such problems for Pakistan as they sit comfortably placed in 4th place with 105 points. But they will aim for consistency in performances and victories under their belt. Bangladesh will be led by Mehidy Hasan Miraz while Pakistan will be led by Shaheen Afridi. The stage is set for an interesting battle between two teams.
Overview
The stage is set for the first of three One-day Internationals to take place as Bangladesh hosts their neighbours and brothers Pakistan in the first ODI at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. The match is set to commence on Wednesday, March 11th 2026 from 1:45 PM IST. Important games with preparation for 2027 ODI World Cup with Bangladesh needing a positive result to climb upwards in the points table while Pakistan searches for consistency despite sitting pretty in the points table.
Bangladesh will be heavily reliant on their home conditions where especially in Mirpur, spin and slower surfaces are expected to be on offer and dominate proceedings. The hosts will build their batting around their experienced middle order batters and all-rounders while spin will be a key element in Mirpur with their spin attack could be a potential weapon.
Bangladesh will look to use the familiarity with the Mirpur conditions to their advantage while spin and slower ball variations could be handy for them. One thing that could be a problem area for them is their inconsistency in top order and pressure in run chases as chasing may not be easy on this pitch against the Pakistan pace attack. Watch out for Mehidy Hasan Miraz to lead from the front with Litton Das back in the side as well. Towhid Hridoy will want to step it up as well.
Saif Hassan and Soumya Sarkar will be key and they have Najmul Hossain Shanto in their ranks as well. The pace bowling for Bangladesh looks solid with the likes of Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman in the ranks alongside Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam. The spin duo of Rishad Hossain and Tanvir Islam will be key alongside Mehidy’s off-spin as well. Bangladesh will fancy their chances at home, but won’t be easy against Pakistan.
Pakistan have brought a pace heavy attack to Mirpur, Dhaka with a strong mix of youth and experience. They will be led by Shaheen Afridi in this series and he will be aggressive in his tactics and fast bowling could be their weapon even in slow Mirpur conditions. Pakistan’s biggest plus point will be their high quality fast bowling attack and experienced ODI batting core while there will be worries on middle order acceleration and how the batters adapt to spin friendly conditions in Dhaka, that will be a test for them.
Led by Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan have excluded their star player and King Babar Azam due to lack of form in recent times. But they welcome back their former captain and dependable ODI player Mohammad Rizwan. Sahibzada Farhan will look to continue his unbelievable run in T20 World Cups to this ODI format. Salman Ali Agha has been picked despite having an underwhelming tournament in Sri Lanka.
Haris Rauf is back fresh from exclusion in T20 World Cup 2026 squad. There is Mohammad Wasim Junior, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf. Hussain Talat is a proper batter batting down the order. The spin department will be taken care by Abrar Ahmed and Faisal Akram with Agha expected to roll his arms over in this format. There are middle order batters in Shamyl Hussain and Abdul Samad and Ghazi Ghouri.
Maaz Sadaqat is an all-rounder as well alongside Saad Masood. The team looks settled and will pose a challenge to Bangladesh. The stage is set for an intriguing battle to take place in Mirpur, Dhaka.
Head-To-Head
Pakistan and Bangladesh have played against each other in a total of 39 matches out of which Pakistan has won 34 times and Bangladesh 5 times. In the last 10 matches, it is 6-4 to Pakistan. Their last meeting though was in 2023 ODI World Cup at Eden Gardens in Kolkata where Pakistan disposed off Bangladesh easily. The last three matches have been won by Pakistan with them meeting in multi-nation events in the ODI format. This is the first time they are meeting in bi-laterals in ODI format after a long time.
Pitch and Weather Report
The Mirpur pitch is generally known to be on the slower side, with spinners and cutters often effective in the latter stages of the game. It is a balanced surface that becomes slower and favours the spinners and slower bowlers as the game progresses. It is not traditionally a high scoring venue with the average score being 228-230 batting first which is a competitive score. The batters will need time to adjust.
The weather in Dhaka will be expected to be warm and dry. We expect typical Mirpur conditions at this time of the year with clear skies, making it a full 50-over contest with no rain interruptions expected at this stage. So, we can have a full game tonight.
Predicted/Probable Playing XIs of both sidesÂ
Here, we will try and predict the playing XIs of both sides.
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (c), Afif Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Shamyl Hussain, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Litton Das: Litton Das will be the key player for Bangladesh as he can hold the middle over together in the middle overs. If early wickets fall, he can steady the ship as well. He is Bangladesh’s most dependable player and since, he does not have captaincy in this format, it can help him liberate and do wonder things for Bangladesh in this short series.
Taskin Ahmed: Taskin Ahmed is the spearhead of this bowling attack and will be expected to lead from the front from Bangladesh’s point of view. He can swing the ball with the new ball and be dangerous at the backend of the innings. He can do a job in the middle phase of the game. He is a key member of this side and would like to retain prime fitness in order to do well for his side.
Sahibzada Farhan: Fresh off an amazing T20 World Cup 2026, where was the leading run getter for Pakistan and tournament, Sahibzada Farhan will now want to make a mark in the 50-over format. Yet to make his debut in ODIs, Farhan will be raring to go when given the chance and will want to shine for Pakistan. He can give the team a good start and if in, can take the game away from the opposition. How he adjusts to the conditions remains to be seen.
Abrar Ahmed: Abrar Ahmed could be the key bowler with the ball considering the spin friendly conditions in Mirpur. Abrar will do a job in the middle phase and maybe in the end phase as well. He can spin a web and put Bangladesh under pressure. He blew hot and cold throughout the T20 World Cup, but impressed one and all in the last match against Sri Lanka, where he picked up 3 wickets and derailed Sri Lanka’s efforts in the end. He will be ready to go in this series.
Predicted/Probable Outcome of the Match
It’s a clash of two unpredictable teams against each other and it is a bi-lateral series. So, a lot of things to take into consideration as conditions will play a part in the outcome of the series. The Mirpur pitch is generally on the slower side and so it will be an interesting series and match. Pakistan dominates Bangladesh in ODIs, but the Tigers will look to take advantage of home conditions. We will still give Pakistan a slight edge in this series but Bangladesh can upstage them and needs to do so to climb upwards in the points table.
Let’s see how things unfold between the two neighbours and brothers in arm when the action kicks off in afternoon on Wednesday.
Also Read: BAN vs PAK: Haris Rauf’s Thunderbolts Wreck Bangladesh