The time is here where fans need to shift their focus to the much-anticipated red-ball series of the year. After whitewashing Ireland in the previous Test series, the hosts Bangladesh will face Pakistan in the opening Test match of the two-match series on Friday at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Both teams will be eyeing a positive start to their series. Bangladesh Bangladesh will be heading into this Test series after whitewashing Ireland in their previous home series. It was a spectacular showdown between their batters and bowlers. However, the Bangla Tigers need to get back on their feet now and focus on doing things better this time. They are currently sitting in the sixth spot of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2025-27. Bangladesh has a stellar record at home, and they will look to utilise their strategies wisely this time. Bangladesh is likely to bring in Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana in place of Khaled Ahmed and Hasan Murad, respectively. In batting, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, and Mushfiqur Rahman will be taking the responsibility. Pakistan Meanwhile, Pakistan will be playing this Test series after a gap of six months, after a full hectic schedule of the T20 World Cup and PSL, where the players were participating in the white-ball format. The hosts will be hoping to get back on their winning track after drawing their last Test series against South Africa at home. Shan Masood has retained the captaincy. The visitors are currently sitting fifth in the points table of the WTC. On the spicy spin surface of Mirpur, the spinner duo of Sajid and Noman will aim to help the team with their spinning deliveries. All eyes will be on their former skipper, Babar Azam, who has recently lifted the PSL title with Peshawar Zalmi. BAN vs PAK 1st Test Match Details BAN vs PAK Test Match Details Match Bangladesh vs Pakistan 1st Test Match Date and Time Friday, May 8; 9:30 a.m. IST Venue Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka Broadcasting and live streaming TV - NA, Live Stream - FanCode (app and website) BAN vs PAK 1st Test Pitch Report Traditionally, Shere Bangla National Stadium's surface offers a flat and slow surface that helps batters and assists spinners as the match progresses. There have been 28 Tests played here so far, with just three matches ending in a draw, and teams batting first have enjoyed a little more success than teams batting second. Spinners are likely to extract good help from the surface as the pitch dries up. The average first innings total here is 319, which indicates that batting during the first innings is easier on a fresh track. BAN vs PAK 1st Test Weather Report The weather is expected to remain humid and partly cloudy throughout the entire match, with one or two passing showers predicted on the first two days. The conditions are expected to be warm for this match on the final day, with the highest temperature expected to hit nearly 33°C during the day, and a humidity of 60%. BAN vs PAK Head-to-Head Records BAN vs PAK head-to-head (in Tests) Match Played 15 Won by Bangladesh 2 Won by Pakistan 12 Draw 1 No Result 0 BAN vs PAK 1st Test Probable XI Bangladesh: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Litton Das (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Taijul Islam, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Nahid Rana Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Fazal/Azan Awais, Shan Masood (c), 4 Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, 8 Shaheen Afridi, 9 Noman Ali, 10 Khurram Shahzad/Hasan Ali, 11 Sajid Khan Players To Watch Out For In the BAN vs PAK 1st Test Match Mushfiqur Rahim | PAK: The veteran Bangladesh batter remains one of the prominent batters in the batting lineup of this team. His ability to play long innings, especially against the spin, is what makes him a special player. He has featured in 100 Test matches so far and has scored 6510 runs for the team at an average of 38.5, including 13 centuries and 28 half-centuries. He had a brilliant outing against Ireland, where he scored 182 runs in three innings with a century in his 100th Test match, and will aim to continue his good form going into this match. Shan Masood | PAK: The left-hand batter and skipper of the Pakistan team remains the backbone of this team in the top order. He has featured in 44 Test matches and has scored 2550 runs, including 6 centuries and 13 half-centuries. He was the pick of the batters against the Proteas in the last series, scoring 170 runs across four innings. He is one batter to watch out for in this Test match. BAN vs PAK 1st Test Toss Prediction Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue In the last five Test matches played at this venue, the teams that won the toss have opted to bowl once and bat on three occasions. Advantages of Bowling First on This Pitch The team batting first at this venue has won 14 out of the total 29 Test matches played here, while the teams batting second have won 12 Test matches. BAN vs IRE Today's Match Scenario Scenario 1 Toss Winner: Bangladesh (opts to bat first) BAN 1st Innings: 315-340 BAN 2nd Innings: 280-270 Match Winner: Bangladesh Scenario 2 Toss Winner: Pakistan (opts to bat first) PAK 1st Innings: 315-325 PAK 2nd Innings: 260-280 Match Winner: Pakistan Who will win today's BAN vs PAK Test match? Pakistan has a stellar record against Bangladesh in the Test format, winning 12 out of the 15 Test matches played against the Bangla Tigers. However, it is worth mentioning that Bangladesh has won the previous two Test matches against Pakistan, meaning that they can be a tough competitor to Pakistan, especially on their home ground. We are backing Bangladesh to give a tough fight and pick up a win here.