Pitch Under Spotlight as Bangladesh and Pakistan Gear Up for T20I Clash in Mirpur

As Bangladesh and Pakistan prepare to face off in a three-match T20I series, all eyes are once again on the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. With past encounters on spin-friendly wickets drawing criticism, both teams have offered their perspectives on what to expect this time around.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha remains confident in his team’s aggressive approach, stressing that they will continue to play fearless cricket — conditions permitting.

“We’ve changed the way we play,” Agha said. “We want to bat aggressively, especially in the powerplay. But we also understand the need to adapt. If the pitch allows us to play our natural attacking game, we will. If not, we will adjust accordingly to get ahead of the par score and defend from there.”

Agha’s comments come amid growing speculation about the nature of the Mirpur surface. The venue has been known for its bowler-friendly conditions in past series, particularly during Bangladesh’s 2021 T20I campaigns against Australia and New Zealand, where the average first-innings score in night matches dipped below 125. Those turning tracks helped Bangladesh clinch series wins, but at a cost — their batters struggled throughout.

Bangladesh’s T20I captain Litton Das acknowledged the shortcomings of those surfaces and indicated that a change is expected for the upcoming series.

“I agree that those pitches had an adverse effect on our batters,” Litton said. “Even I could have become a bowler on those wickets. But I don’t think there will be a repeat this time. I saw the pitch — it looks good and should offer a more balanced contest.”

Litton added that while Mirpur has a reputation for being tough on batters, it has also produced high-scoring matches — particularly during the Bangladesh Premier League. However, he was quick to point out key differences between domestic and international cricket.

“In the BPL, you get dew and weaker bowling attacks,” he said. “You can target one or two bowlers, but at the international level, all five are quality. So even if the match isn’t high-scoring, I think it’ll be an exciting one.”

Pakistan, who convincingly beat Bangladesh 3-0 in their last T20I series in May-June — including a 197-run chase with nearly three overs to spare — opted to skip training on the eve of the series opener. Bangladesh, meanwhile, held an optional session, with Litton spending time inspecting the pitch and speaking with curator Gamini Silva.

Litton had voiced his concerns last week after the third T20I in Sri Lanka, citing Dhaka’s persistent rainfall as a potential factor affecting pitch conditions.

“I think it is raining in Dhaka every day, so the wicket can be difficult for batting,” he had said. “But we won’t be disappointed if the batters struggle. We’ll keep giving our 100%.”

Despite the uncertainty, both captains are focused on playing modern, attacking T20 cricket — even if conditions require some fine-tuning. The first T20I will be a key indicator of whether the Mirpur pitch has indeed turned a corner, or if old concerns will once again dominate the narrative.

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