Pakistan has built quite a reputation for producing quality fast bowlers for decades. However, Bangladesh have also been enjoying a pace bowling revolution since 2022. Ahead of the first of the two-match Test series against Pakistan, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was asked to compare the pace units of both sides.
On Thursday, Shanto responded in a humble manner at the press conference, saying:
“In the pace bowling department, both teams have strong attacks. If I had to say, our pace attack has been slightly ahead in the last few years based on how they’ve been performing.”
For this series, Bangladesh will rely on a pace attack comprising Nahid Rana, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Ebadot Hossain. Khaled Ahmed has been left out, while Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Hasan Mahmud were not considered due to lack of match fitness. Meanwhile, Pakistan have arrived with a pace unit featuring Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Khurram Shahzad and Aamir Jamal.
In terms of wickets, Bangladesh pacers have taken 81 wickets over the last two years, compared to 54 by Pakistan’s pacers in the same period. Notably, Pakistan have used nine different pacers in this timeframe, while Bangladesh have maintained a more settled core group of seven bowlers.
However, Shanto was quick to praise Pakistan’s tradition of producing fast bowlers while also acknowledging Bangladesh’s recent improvement.
“Pakistan are always known for their pace bowling, and there’s no doubt they are a very strong pace-bowling side. But our fast bowlers have also improved a lot and deserve credit,” he said.
