Pakistan captain Shan Masood has dismissed the idea of "revenge" against Bangladesh, choosing instead to focus on his side's immediate performance ahead of the first Test starting Friday in Mirpur.
The narrative of the series has been dominated by Bangladesh's historic 2-0 sweep in Rawalpindi two years ago.
However, Masood rejected any retaliatory framing of the upcoming matches.
"We don't use words like revenge," Masood said at a press conference on Thursday. "You have to give credit to Bangladesh for how they played in 2024. Even when we had them at 26-6, they showed the skill to fight back and win."
While teammate Shaheen Shah Afridi recently spoke of reaching the World Test Championship final, Masood offered a more grounded perspective.
Pakistan has struggled in the championship cycles, finishing at the bottom of the table last time.
"The most important thing is to stay in the present," Masood said. "We are playing Bangladesh, which is both a challenge and an opportunity. We can't look too far ahead; we have to take it step by step."
The Mirpur series is expected to feature "sporting" wickets, potentially favoring pace over traditional spin. Despite Pakistan's historical reliance on fast bowling, Masood acknowledged that Bangladesh's current attack might be the strongest in their history.
He declined to compare the two units, noting that both sides now possess high-quality bowlers.
Pakistan has brought a balanced 16-member squad capable of playing in varied conditions.
"Our goal is to play 10 days of good cricket," Masood said. "Hopefully, the side that performs best will win the series." �"UNB
