Salman banks on BPL experience to beat Bangladesh

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha said that inputs from players with experience of playing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and focus on playing "good cricket" could power his side to a second 3-0 sweep over Bangladesh in T20Is in less than two months.

Salman spoke to the press today in Dhaka ahead of the first T20I of a three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

In May-June, Pakistan had handed the Tigers a 3-0 sweep in Lahore, and the Pakistan skipper feels that the knowledge about local conditions that many players on his side have gathered from playing in the BPL would help them repeat the feat in Bangladesh.

The majority of cricketers in Pakistan's current T20 squad, namely Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Saim Ayub, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Hussain Talat, and Abbas Afridi, have played for various franchises in recent editions of the BPL.

Although Pakistan's last tour of Bangladesh was back in 2021, Salman feels that the BPL experience would make up for it ahead of the forthcoming T20I series.

"Most of the [Pakistan team] players have played in BPL. It is very important, obviously, to get their inputs… We have talked, and we have had a chat with them. They have given their inputs, and we have planned accordingly," Salman told reporters during a press conference in Mirpur on Saturday.

Salman also feels that the condition in Mirpur will play a big role in the outcome of the series.

"Of course, condition does play a vital role wherever you go, because you have to give respect to the condition… I think not only here, wherever you go in the world, the conditions will always play a key part," he said, adding that they had a good preparation in Karachi before coming here and wanted to add to their winning streak against Bangladesh in T20Is.

Since their defeat in the 2016 Asia Cup in Mirpur, Pakistan have not lost a single T20I against Bangladesh in 12 meetings, barring a match in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou which Bangladesh won by six wickets but in that tournament, both sides had sent a second-string side.

Overall, Pakistan have suffered only three defeats to Bangladesh in T20Is in 22 meetings and won the remaining 19 matches.

"No, there is no added pressure. We don't focus on this stuff, like we have won from the last nine years. We just focus on playing good cricket, and the cricket we want to play. And in this series, we are going to focus on the same thing. We just want to play good cricket in every single game… If we can win 3-0, we'll be more than happy."