Pacers in focus as Tigers face Pakistan in first T20I

Bangladesh will take on hosts Pakistan in the first of the three-match T20I series in Lahore today, and the Tigers are in need of turning things around on two fronts -- reviving their much-hyped pace attack and bouncing back from a 2-1 series drubbing against a lower-ranked UAE.

The task, however, will not be an easy one, especially with the Tigers missing the services of three of their frontline pacers.

A last-minute finger injury to Mustafizur Rahman, sustained during his latest Indian Premier League (IPL) stint with the Delhi Capitals, right-arm quick Taskin Ahmed's unavailability due to being in rehab for an ankle issue, and pace sensation Nahid Rana's withdrawal from the series mean Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Khaled Ahmed will have to step up in the pace department.

"You miss your senior seamers right now. As we saw, how Fizz (Mustafizur) was bowling in the IPL recently. We will miss him. But again, it is also a chance for somebody to take his place in this series," head coach Phil Simmons also urged the same from the ones who are available.

Bangladesh's bowling, considered their main strength in any format with success for batters always remaining a flip of the coin, has not been up to the mark as of late -- case in point the UAE tour in which methodical batting from the hosts saw Bangladesh bowlers lose the plot at crucial junctures of the matches.

However, with Shaun Tait on board as the newly-appointed pace bowling coach and spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed joining the team for the Pakistan series, Bangladesh are hoping to recalibrate by soaking in their experiences of working in the latest edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Both Tait and Mushtaq worked with different franchises in the 10th PSL.

"We will assess what's happening. We have Shaun [Tait] who has been in the PSL right from the start. Mushy [Mushtaq] has also been in the PSL. We will get information from them and make our decisions," Simmons added.

Pakistan will also have their work cut out, as they are without three of their star cricketers -- Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Pacer Naseem Shah leads the charge for them in the pace department while Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, and skipper Salman Agha needing to fill in for the experienced duo of Babar and Rizwan.

Bangladesh made history in their last visit to the country when they beat Pakistan 2-0 in a Test series to clinch their maiden series victory over the hosts in 2024. Bangladesh can eye something similar this time, as the Tigers are yet to beat Pakistan in their own backyard in the shortest format -- losing all three T20Is so far.

But Simmons only wanted to focus on their own agenda.

"I don't know if it's the best time to beat Pakistan in T20Is. I think it's time for us to play our best. Pakistan are a dangerous side at any point of time. So, you can't take anything for granted," Simmons warned the Tigers to not take Pakistan lightly even if they are missing some experienced campaigners.