Sports desk:

Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam is looking to pick up the ‘dream wicket’ of Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam when the two teams face off in a two-match Test series starting in Rawalpindi on August 21.

The left-arm seamer called Babar a tough challenge for Bangladesh and asserted the need to pick up his wicket early in the innings.

Shoriful is making a return to the Test format as he was busy playing various franchise tournaments like LPL and GT20 Canada. He is also a key part of Bangladesh’s white-ball plans.

However, he lost his place in the T20I side to youngster Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who had an excellent T20 World Cup 2024.

The southpaw had little time to prepare for the longest format of the game after his franchise league commitments.

He joined the team on August 16 but is excited to play against world-class batters in Pakistan’s line-up, especially Babar.

He stated that Pakistan have world-class batters in the form of Shan Masood and Babar but showed confidence in Bangladesh’s bowling line-up to give them a tough fight.

‘Babar [Azam], and Shan Masood are world-class batters. But our bowling attack is also strong enough. We can put up a strong fight against them. As they are playing on their home ground, our task will be difficult. We have to stay prepared,’ said Shoriful during a press conference in Lahore on Friday.

He also added that dismissing Babar will be key for Bangladesh. He also called Babar his dream wicket and will be aiming to pick up his wicket as early as possible.

‘Babar [Azam] is a tough challenge for Bangladesh. So, we have to take his wicket quickly. My dream wicket is Babar Azam bhai. I will be very happy if I can get his wicket. I played with him last year in the LPL. He is also a nice man,’ added the 23-year old pacer.

Babar and Shoriful have played for Colombo Strikers in the Lanka Premier League. Both have a good relationship off the field, but the southpaw will be eager to pick up the wicket of Pakistan’s premier batter.

Shoriful also spoke about the need to adjust to the conditions in Pakistan as Bangladesh have not played much cricket there.

The conditions in Rawalpindi are usually good for batting but also favour fast bowlers.

‘We have not played much cricket in Pakistan. So, we need to adjust here a bit. Also, there is a need for adjustment for the Rawalpindi’s wicket,’ he added.

The second Test will be played in Karachi from August 30 to September 3. The series is extremely crucial for both teams, as both will be aiming for crucial points in the World Test Championships.