Despite not winning a T20 match against Pakistan for nearly seven years, Mohammad Naim Sheikh is confident about putting Bangladesh ahead in this upcoming series.
Bangladesh’s overall record against Pakistan in T20Is hasn’t been favorable — they were whitewashed in the last series and haven’t beaten Pakistan since 2016. However, left-handed opener Naim believes playing at home gives his team the edge this time.
Fresh from their series win against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh is set to face Pakistan in a three-match T20 series starting Sunday at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Most players rested on Friday, the optional practice day after returning home Thursday, but Naim arrived alone and spent nearly an hour and a half in batting practice.
When asked by the media, the 25-year-old was straightforward in naming Bangladesh the favorites.
“Of course, we back ourselves more at home. We will back ourselves this time too.”
Still, the statistics don’t favor Bangladesh. In the recent May-June Pakistan tour, Bangladesh struggled in all three T20 matches. Before that, they were whitewashed at home by Pakistan in 2021.
Since the 2016 Asia Cup, Bangladesh hasn’t beaten Pakistan, except for a win in the 2023 Asian Games — but that tournament didn’t feature full-strength teams.
Out of 22 matches against Pakistan, Bangladesh has managed only three wins. Naturally, curiosity arises about Naim’s confidence despite this history. He credits positive momentum from the Sri Lanka tour.
“In Pakistan, most of the matches were high-scoring; we posted 190-200 runs. But the way we bowled against Pakistan there was different from how we performed against Sri Lanka.”
“Our bowlers are in good form now. I’ve seen as a teammate that they’re in a strong position. If we can maintain this, we’ll be able to take full advantage of playing at home.”
Naim also hopes the home conditions at Bangladesh’s cricket fortress will provide an additional boost.
“We’re coming off a winning momentum from Sri Lanka, and we’ll try to keep that going. Also, all the matches are at home. We all know what Mirpur conditions are generally like. I haven’t seen the pitch yet, but the team’s morale is good.”
“I focused on my individual practice. The team’s momentum is strong, and we want to keep it going. There’s no use dwelling on past results. Since we are in good form, we want to sustain it.”
