Pakistan is attempting to maintain its winning streak in the 50-over format against Bangladesh. Historically, Pakistan has secured 34 victories out of 39 ODIs played against Bangladesh, with the latter winning only 5 times.
The opening match of the Dutch-Bangla Bank ODI Series 2026 is taking place at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan, marking their return to 50-over cricket after missing the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The match is scheduled to commence at 1:45 PM IST (2:15 PM local time). Weather officials in Dhaka have warned of scattered thunderstorms on the match day, with a maximum temperature expected to reach 32°C.
Team Updates
Pakistan’s captain Shaheen Afridi confirmed that three debutants—Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, and Shamyl Hussain—are included in the playing XI. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz leads a squad that includes key players such as Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz expressed confidence in his team’s performance, stating, “Yeah, definitely. It was an excellent start.” He emphasized the importance of every match, noting, “Every match is very important, you know, the qualifies [to] the World Cup.”
Miraz also commented on the challenges of bowling, saying, “If you bowl in the right area all the times, definitely it’s been difficult to because pace is there.”
As the match unfolds, observers are keen to see how the debutants perform and whether Bangladesh can capitalize on their decision to bowl first. There are two matches remaining in the series after this opener, making each game critical for both teams.
