Bangladesh began their Asia Cup preparations in style, cruising to an eight-wicket win over the Netherlands in the opening T20I at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. With Taskin Ahmed leading the bowling with a fiery four-for and skipper Litton Das anchoring the chase with a fluent half-century, the hosts sealed victory with 39 balls to spare to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Put in to bat, the Netherlands could muster only 136/8 from their 20 overs. They started brightly, Max O’Dowd hitting three boundaries in Shoriful Islam’s over and a six off Mahedi Hasan, but Taskin’s introduction flipped the script. His very first delivery had O’Dowd spooning to cover. From there, the Dutch never regained momentum.
Taskin struck again to remove Vikramjit Singh early, and though Teja Nidamanuru counterattacked with 27 runs off 11 balls, Saif Hassan delivered a double blow in his debut spell — dismissing captain Scott Edwards and Nidamanuru within three balls. Mustafizur Rahman added Shariz Ahmad to the list before Taskin returned to complete his four-wicket haul. The Dutch scored just 52 runs in the last eight overs, stuttering to 136/8.
Litton Anchors Chase, Saif Finishes with Flourish
Bangladesh’s reply began in explosive fashion. Parvez Hossain Emon cracked two fours and a six off Aryan Dutt in the opening over, while Tanzid Hasan added a boundary of his own. Though the Dutch spinners briefly slowed the run flow, Litton Das took charge. Playing with composure and authority, he reached his 13th T20I half-century in just 29 balls, guiding the chase with precision.
Saif Hassan, fresh from his breakthrough with the ball, showcased his batting firepower with 36 not out off just 19 deliveries. His innings featured clean hitting, including a towering strike off Tim Pringle and back-to-back sixes off Vikramjit Singh in the 14th over, sealing victory in style. The unbroken 46-run stand between Litton (54*) and Saif ensured Bangladesh crossed the line comfortably at 138/2 in 13.3 overs.
Clinical Start to Asia Cup Build-up
The emphatic win highlighted Bangladesh’s growing balance between bat and ball, with Taskin’s pace attack complemented by Saif’s all-round impact and Litton’s consistency at the top. With two matches still to play in the series, the hosts have laid down a marker as they fine-tune for the Asia Cup in the UAE starting September 9.
Brief Scores: Netherlands 136/8 in 20 overs (Teja Nidamanuru 28, Max O'Dowd 23; Taskin Ahmed 4/28, Saif Hassan 2/18) Bangladesh 138/2 in 13.3 overs (Litton Das 54*, Saif Hassan 36*) Bangladesh won by 8 wickets
