On their biggest day in cricket, an unchanged Bangladesh side stuck to the same approach that brought them two wins out of three games in the league stage of the Asia Cup and asked Pakistan to bat.

Pakistan brought back specialist wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed in place of Wahab Riaz.

Pakistan won its only Asia Cup the last time it reached the final, in 2000.

Squads:

Pakistan
Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq*, Umar Akmal, Hammad Azam, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema

Bangladesh
Tamim Iqbal, Nazimuddin, Jahurul Islam, Mushfiqur Rahim*†, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Nazmul Hossain