Pakistan, Bangladesh gear up for first Test match in Rawalpindi tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh is set to begin in Rawalpindi city tomorrow, Wednesday, with Pakistan Test Captain Shan Masood advising his team to focus on its strength, which is fast bowling. 
The first Test match will commence on Aug. 21 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The second will start on Aug. 30 at the same venue.
Bangladesh will be hoping to overturn their no-win record against Pakistan, having lost 12 of the last 13 Tests, with just one draw. 
Addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi, Masood expressed hope to win both matches.
“Our focus is on our strengths and fast bowling is Pakistan’s strength,” the cricketer said. 
Having released their only spinner, Abrar Ahmed, Pakistan will enter the Test with an all-pace attack — a ploy they last used five years ago against Sri Lanka at the same venue.
Following a 3-0 rout in Australia earlier this year, Pakistan brought in former Aussie paceman Jason Gillespie as Test coach, while Adelaide groundsman Damien Hough was hired to improve the standard of pitches.
Masood said even though the Green Shirts lost the Test series against Australia, “there were lot of things we did right in Australia and things we need to take forward.”
When asked about the conditions of the Rawalpindi cricket stadium, Masood said cricketers needed to be flexible as a Test-playing team but conditions at Rawalpindi favored batters and seamers. 
Bangladesh begin a two-Test series in Pakistan this week with their preparations severely hampered by the political turmoil that has wracked the country. Unrest that led to the overthrow of prime minister Sheikh Hasina kept the team’s foreign coaches indoors, strictly following adviseries from their embassies, while mass protests stopped the team from assembling for practice sessions.
The make-up of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is also up in the air, after president Nazmul Hassan fled the country due to his association with Hasina.
The two-match Test series is part of the World Test Championship’s third cycle, with Pakistan sixth in the current nine-team table and Bangladesh eighth. 
Teams:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed