
New-look Pakistan and Bangladesh face off in T20 series
Agha has been leading the short format side with star batsmen Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan out since last year.
Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has been rested for the three-match series and seam bowlers Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim are also missing because of injuries.
Agha said the missing players could still be considered for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year.
'We have changed the way we want to play but we are confident of our build-up and direction,' said Agha on Saturday.
'We are going for this series with ample preparations as Bangladesh can be a challenging team in their home conditions.'
New Zealander Mike Hesson is Pakistan's new white-ball coach. His first assignment was a 3-0 series win at home against Bangladesh 3-0 last month.
With leg-spinner Shadab Khan also injured, Pakistan have picked two uncapped fast bowlers in Salman Mirza and Ahmed Daniyal.
Bangladesh won a T20 series 2-1 in Sri Lanka last week.
'What happened in Sri Lanka is in the past,' said captain Litton Das.
'We have to face a new challenge starting tomorrow. We are ready for this challenge.
'We have the mentality to beat any team, but we have to play well on the particular day and not entirely bank on home conditions.'
Bangladesh have kept the same squad that went to Sri Lanka
The second and third matches are on Tuesday and Thursday, also in Dhaka.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Injured Rishabh pant will miss india's fifth test vs. england
India's Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the final test against England with a foot fracture. India coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed Pant's injury for the first time after the visitors salvaged a draw in the fourth test at Old Trafford on Sunday. Pant retired hurt on day one when taken off the field on a cart with his foot badly swollen, but he returned limping on day 2 to reach a half century. 'It's been declared that he's out of the series, and one thing I want to say is that the character and the foundation of this team will be built on something Rishabh did for the team and for the country as well,' Gambhir said. 'Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot. I think the generations to come forward will talk about it, and the generations coming forward should talk about it.' Pant was injured when attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes, and the ball deflected onto his right ankle and foot. India did not confirm at the time the extent of the injury, but he was replaced as wicket-keeper by Dhruv Jurel for the remainder of the match. He wasn't required to bat in India's second innings, with the visitors earning a draw in Manchester after Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar (101 not out) all reached centuries on the final day. England leads the series 2-1 going into the final test at the Oval next week.


Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan PM takes notice of ‘unjustified delay' of cash reward, support for boxer Shahzaib Rind
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar this week apologized to Karate champion Shahzaib Rind for the 'unjustified delay' of a monetary reward and financial support the fighter said the government had promised to provide him, sharing that the prime minister has taken 'serious notice' of the incident. Rind made history in September last year when he won the World Karate Combat Light Heavyweight Championship, beating Brazil's Luiz Victor Rocha in the final in Singapore. The remarkable feat made him the first person from Pakistan to win the world title. Following his achievement, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari presented Rind a cheque of Rs100 million [$352,600] while as per reports, former federal minister Sardar Yaar Muhammad Rind announced he would give Rind 25 acres of land. Rind took to social media platform X on July 23, saying that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised him a sum of Rs5 million [$17,630] and Rs80 million [$282,080] to support his training camp and upcoming fights. However, the Pakistani fighter said it was 'all a lie, I never got a penny from them.' 'Dear Shahzeb, there seems to be some miscommunication,' Tarar wrote to Rind on X on Saturday. 'We sincerely apologize for this unjustified delay, sportsmen like you are our real heroes and we value your achievements.' The minister acknowledged that Rind had brought honor to the country and made everyone proud through his achievements. 'The Prime Minister has taken serious notice of this inordinate delay and rest assured, it will be sorted out immediately, inshallah [god willing],' Tarar added. He said Sharif had instructed authorities that such mistakes must never happen again. 'We regret this unjustified delay and the inconvenience caused,' he added. Dear Shahzeb, @RindhShahzaib There seems to be some miscommunication. We sincerely apologise for this unjustified delay, sportsmen like you are our real heroes and we value your achievements. You have brought great honour to the country and made us all proud. The Prime Minister… — Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) July 26, 2025 Rind responded by thanking Tarar, saying he appreciated Sharif taking notice of the incident. 'Inshallah, with your support, we can continue to uplift and inspire the next generation of champions,' he wrote. Thank you for your kind message and acknowledgment. I truly appreciate the Prime Minister's attention to this matter and his commitment to supporting athletes like myself. Representing Pakistan on the world stage is an honour, and I will always give my all for our country.… — Shahzaib 'KING' Rind (@RindhShahzaib) July 27, 2025 Rind, who hails from the impoverished southwestern Balochistan province, won his first martial arts title in 2011 after claiming victory in a provincial-level competition. His first national title came in 2019 when he triumphed at the National Games in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. During the two-and-a-half years of an undefeated Karate Combat career, Rind has fought fighters from North America, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, France and India.


Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
Lauren James' return boosts England ahead of Euro 2025 final against Spain
England forward Lauren James has recovered from injury in time for the final of the Women's European Championship against World Cup winner Spain on Sunday. James had to come off at halftime in England's semifinal victory over Italy on Tuesday with an ankle problem and was seen applying ice to her injury during the match. However, the Chelsea player trained on Saturday with the rest of the Lionesses. 'We had 23 players on the pitch today and everyone came through,' England coach Sarina Wiegman said on the eve of the final. 'So if everyone recovers well then we have 23 players available for tomorrow. I think we have many players that can impact and we know that she can have an impact too so that'd be nice.' James was a major doubt even before the tournament after a hamstring injury ended her season in April. But the 23-year-old has started all five of England's games at Euro 2025 and been a continuous threat. James scored twice in the 4-0 win over the Netherlands in the second group-stage match. 'I think we have a team of talented players,' England captain Leah Williamson said. 'Lauren brings something slightly different…so obviously having that available is a best-case scenario for us.' England is the defending champion but lost to Spain in the World Cup final in 2023.