Tigers aim to end Pakistan hoodoo

Fresh off clinching their maiden T20I series over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will be looking to continue their winning momentum in the shortest format when they take on Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today.

Against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost the series opener but bounced back with back-to-back victories to seal the three-match series 2-1, clinching their maiden series win over the islanders in their backyard across all formats.

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The result was a breath of fresh air in Bangladesh cricket, following the underwhelming performance in the preceding ODI series against Sri Lanka, which they lost 2-1, and also the back-to-back T20I series defeats to the UAE and Pakistan in the months prior.

The Tigers would be hoping to use this new-found positivity to end their sorry streak of results against Pakistan in T20Is, a side they haven't beaten in the format since 2016.

"After losing the first game in Sri Lanka, we made a great comeback. Of course, the players have grown more confident," Bangladesh T20I skipper Litton Das told reporters in Mirpur yesterday before the team's only training session before the Pakistan series, after returning to Dhaka from Sri Lanka on July 17.

"We will have the same mindset, the same goal – winning the series. But we need to play good cricket in every game. What happened in Sri Lanka two days ago is already in the past. It's a new place, a new venue, so we need to take in everything afresh," said Litton, who was named the player-of-the-series in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Although, on paper, Bangladesh did beat Pakistan in the bronze medal decider of the 2023 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, it is more of a misnomer, as both countries had sent a second-string team for the tournament, not the national side.

Even with that win, Bangladesh only have three victories over Pakistan in 22 T20I meetings and have lost the remaining 19 matches.

Litton, however, was not fazed by their poor record, saying, "Records are meant to be broken. If we play good cricket, it won't take too long to change this record. Instead of thinking about it, if we think about what we can do, our capabilities, and what quality of cricket we can play, it [record] will change."

On the other hand, Pakistan are banking on their players who have extensive experience of playing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and want to win all three matches to continue their dominance over the Tigers in this format.

"Most of the [Pakistan team] players have played in BPL. It is very important, obviously, to get their inputs… They have given their inputs, and we have planned accordingly," said Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha.

"We just want to play good cricket in every single game… If we can win 3-0, we'll be more than happy," he concluded.