Bangladesh send Pakistan into bat in rain-delayed first Test
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and sent Pakistan to bat on the opening day of the first Test on Wednesday after a delayed start due to a wet outfield.
The two umpires — Richard Kettleborough of England and Adrian Holdstock of South Africa — made four inspections of the ground but found wet patches due to overnight rain, deemed dangerous for play.
No play was possible before lunch with 230 minutes of play lost, curtailing the day to 48 overs.
The weather forecast for all five days is not encouraging with rain and bad light predicted.
Pakistan entered the Test with four fast bowlers in an all-pace attack with no frontline spinner while Bangladesh included three pacers and two spinners.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Aamer Jamal has missed out on a place for the first fixture of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which is set to be played from Wednesday.
The two-match series is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) third cycle (2023-2025) contested by nine teams. Pakistan is currently sixth and Bangladesh is eighth on the table.
The second Test will also be played in Rawalpindi, from August 30, after being moved from Karachi because of construction work at the stadium.
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Adrian Holdstock (RSA)
TV umpire: Michael Gough (ENG)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)