Tigers, Pakistan renew rivalry after historic Test series

Bangladesh and Pakistan are keen to move past their previous meeting, when the hosts secured a historic Test series win over their Asian neighbours. They now prepare for the two-match Test series opener at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city today (Thursday), according to Cricbuzz.

Bangladesh's series win over Pakistan in 2024 has been a major talking point ahead of the opening Test, but it hasn't had much impact inside either dressing room, with both teams unwilling to dwell on the past.

"That is history now," Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons said when asked about his team's historic Test series win over Pakistan in 2024 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city on Wednesday.

"We want to make new history. It doesn't matter what happened then. Yes, you keep it in your mind because it gives you a boost, but this is a new game and a new place," he said. "We are in Bangladesh now, not Pakistan. We have to put those things behind us and focus on Friday."

Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Afridi echoed the same sentiment. "The past is the past. Personally, I do not want to dwell on it," said Shaheen. "Our goal is to focus on the present and the future. We are preparing to win the championship, not just a single series. As a team, we have big goals and we are ready," he added.

Bangladesh last played in November 2025 against Ireland, while Pakistan last played a Test series against South Africa in 2025.

The Bangladesh camp feels adjusting back to the longer format will not be a problem, as several players have been involved in red-ball cricket in domestic competitions.

"It is more of a mental shift. At the same time, quite a few players here have not played white-ball cricket recently. They have been working with the red ball for the last couple of months, so I think it will be an easier shift than you think," Simmons said. He added that his players are not under pressure despite beating Pakistan in their own backyard in 2024.

"I think 95 per cent of the expectations are outside the dressing room. You and the public have more expectations than we do. We prepare and look forward to playing; expectations from the last series do not help us. We try to keep that outside the dressing room," he said. Shaheen said the team is not concerned about the gap since their last Test match. "Our last series against South Africa in Pakistan was a long time ago. As a team, we are ready. We had preparation time in Pakistan and now here for the last two to three days. We are looking forward to the challenge," he said.

"This period is very important for us as a Test team. We are playing a long season of Test cricket. We are focusing on how to prepare for the first Test. We hope the conditions suit us so we can play our best cricket here," he added.

"We were already preparing during the PSL. After matches, we bowled extra overs on the side wickets. We worked on our bowling workloads to switch quickly to Tests. In the four or five days here, we tried to bowl around 25 overs to get used to the format," he said. "Playing against any team in their home conditions is always tough. We are not just looking at one series; we are focusing on the World Test Championship. Our goal is to qualify for the final and win it. We will give our best to achieve that. The whole team understands that we need to play our best in the Test format," he added.