Experienced wicketkeeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim on Friday asserted that the home side in Bangladesh know how to attack and tackle Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam. Despite the 31-year-old scoring just 64 runs across four innings when Bangladesh defeated Pakistan 2-0 at their home ground in 2024, Rahim remains confident that his team will be ready for the upcoming Test series.
Babar, who missed the first match of the series due to a knee injury, is available to feature in the subsequent fixture. This news was confirmed by Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed during the pre-match press conference on Friday. Although Babar's return could serve as a significant boost for Pakistan, Rahim emphasized that Bangladesh had beaten them with him in their lineup.
"I am sure [Babar's] presence will be a boost for the Pakistan team, especially because he is a world-class cricketer," said Rahim. "But he played in the two Tests when we beat them in Pakistan, still we beat them."
Rahim further added, "We know where to attack him, how to plan against him. We are hopeful of executing those plans. If we can do that, we can definitely put him and the team under pressure."
The wicketkeeper also highlighted that while Pakistan have been struggling across formats, their victory in the series opener was due to their consistent performances. "I think the Pakistan team is obviously struggling in Tests, ODIs and T20Is," he said. "But we won [in Dhaka] because we played really well. We were consistent against them."
Rahim further emphasized his determination to replicate those performances in the upcoming Test series. "We will try to play in the same way. We have to see how much we get to play in this Test match; it will be a challenge to find a result in this game."
Mushfiqur Rahim, known for his tactical acumen, is confident that Bangladesh's experience and preparation will help them overcome Babar Azam's strengths during the upcoming series.
