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All the focus will be on the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium wickets as the first of the three-match T20I series between Bangladesh and Pakistan begins in Mirpur today.

The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00pm and T Sports will telecast it live.

Following their historic series win over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh had a lengthy training session under the lights on Saturday, whereas their Pakistan counterparts opted to rest after their practice on Friday.

The two centre wickets of Mirpur where Bangladesh had their net sessions seemed slow and sluggish.  Obviously, the first match will be played on a different wicket which had been under cover for most of the time.

But historically, Mirpur is known for its notorious behaviour towards the batters, especially in T20Is.

Since the start of 2020, the average runs in an over (6.49) at the venue are the lowest among the international venues where at least 20 matches have been played.

The two infamous series against New Zealand and Australia in 2021, where the average runs per six balls were 5.42 and 5.53, respectively, are often regarded as one of the major setbacks in terms of progress for Bangladesh in T20s despite winning both the series.

But Bangladesh captain Liton Das wants to see the wickets as sporting, as he believes there will be some help for everyone.

‘It’s not like that the batters always face problems here. I want to make it clear that the batters faced troubles particularly in those two series,’ Liton said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

‘It’s challenging; the ball turns. But the batters also scored some runs. The pacers also get help. This is a sporting wicket.

‘It will be equal for both sides; it’s not like only we will get the advantage, as they have also got [good] pacers, spinners and batters. We have to play good cricket,’ he added.

Liton, who has become the first Bangladeshi captain to win two overseas T20I series, however, was unable to predict a par score.

‘It’s challenging for those who are preparing the wicket right now,’ said Liton.

 ‘We don’t have control over the weather. There has been persistent rain in the last three to four days. The man who will prepare the wicket; he might not have got enough time.

‘We don’t have to worry about the wicket at the moment. The wicket will remain the same for both the Pakistan and the Bangladesh teams. [The important thing is] how well we can play reading the wicket,’ he added.

Liton also stated that the series win against Sri Lanka would give his players extra confidence.

He said, ‘We made a comeback in the Sri Lanka series after losing the first match. Obviously there is confidence in each player’s mind. But the condition and the opponent are different.’

‘That’s why we have to play well on that particular day. The confidence will help you, but at the same time, it’s important to remain focused to hold your position.’

However, Liton mentioned that they have the mentality to beat any team.

 ‘We have got that mentality; we will try to do that. But you have to play well on a particular day. That doesn’t mean we are guaranteed to play well just because it’s our home condition,’ he said.

‘I’ve said this before: Pakistan is a good side. And as most of their players play in the BPL, they know the condition well.’