Pakistan presented two debut caps vs Bangladesh [Source: X]Test cricket returned to the subcontinent on Friday morning as Pakistan’s two-match Test tour of Bangladesh got underway at the Sher-E-Bangla Stadium, Mirpur.Interestingly, as Pakistan won the toss and decided to put the hosts in to bat first, two debutants were announced in the batting line-up, while Babar Azam was among the players sitting out for the game.Among the two debutants is the 21-year-old left-hand bat, Azan Awais, who initially looked like a player picked to fast-track his development before he actually got a shot in the side, along with another southpaw, Abduallah Fazal. Who is Pakistan's debutant Azan Awais? Pakistan’s Test cap number 261, Azan Awais, is a 2004-born left-hand opening bat who has been one of the most impressive red-ball players in Pakistan’s domestic circuit in the last couple of years. Coming from the Sialkot region of Pakistan, Awais made his First Class debut at 19 against FATA in 2024 and scored a fifty on his debut before going on a brilliant run of form in red-ball cricket. In his debut Quaid-E-Azam Trophy season of 2024/25, he finished as the leading run-getter in the country with 844 runs in 13 innings, scoring 4 hundreds and two fifties, including a 203* as Sialkot went on to win the tournament. Also Read: PAK vs BAN Live Streaming, Live Telecast in India 1st Test- Where to Watch Pakistan Tour of Bangladesh 2026 Live?He followed it up with another 803 runs in 10 matches of the 2025/26 season, averaging 50.18 to score three hundreds and three fifties. Azan Awais’ brilliance led the Sialkot region to the runner-up medal in 2025/26. Previously, he had also played 2 Youth Tests for the Asian giants, where he had scored 149 runs in 4 innings, including a match-winning 104(221) vs Sri Lanka U19 in 2023. Overall, he is known for his marathon knocks at the top of the order. In a 33-game FC career, he has already scored 2673 runs in 59 innings, averaging 48.60 with 10 centuries and 9 fifties, exhibiting his brilliant conversion rate. Pakistan snubs Babar Azam controversially vs BangladeshBabar Azam, who was the leading run-getter of the recent PSL season, where his team Peshawar Zalmi finished as the champions, was controversially dropped from the playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh despite being in good form. While Shan Masood at the toss said that Babar is nursing an injury, contrasting reports have been circulating over the situation, suggesting a strategic drop from the team. With two opening batters debuting in Azan Awais and Abdullah Fazal, one of the two will likely open the innings with Imam-ul-Haq and the other slot in at 3. Captain Shan Masood could be seen batting at 4 in place of Babar Azam in the ongoing Test. Notably, Babar had been waiting for his 10th Test century for a long time, having last scored in three figures back in December 2022 against New Zealand. Pakistan eyeing revenge vs Bangladesh The last time Pakistan and Bangladesh met in a Test series was back in 2024, when Bangladesh visited Pakistan in a two-match Test series, and Bangladesh embarrassingly defeated Pakistan by a 2-0 margin. This series serves Shan Masood and co. with a golden opportunity to avenge the clean sweep at home and win the series on Bangladesh’s turf. Also Read: IPL 2026: DC vs KKR Prediction, Match 49- Who Will Win Today?
