In a perfect dress rehearsal for the Asia Cup 2025, Bangladesh notched a resounding eight-wicket win over the Netherlands in the first T20I held in Sylhet this Saturday, August 30. Bangladesh summed up the match with 39 balls to spare, marking their most significant T20I home win by balls remaining in a decade. This victory is second only to their impressive 48-ball triumph against Afghanistan during the 2014 T20 World Cup, which took place in Dhaka.
Bangladesh annihilate Netherlands by 8 wickets in 1st T20I
Litton Das with the bat and Taskin Ahmed with the ball shone bright for Bangladesh. Taskin set the tone for Bangladesh after Scott Edwards chose to bat, delivering a masterful display of pace and precision. He single-handedly dismantled the Dutch top order, taking down Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Noah Croes, and Kyle Klein to end with impressive figures of 4 for 28. Mustafizur Rahman was equally effective, conceding only 19 runs in his four overs while also grabbing a wicket. Saif Hassan added to the pressure with two wickets of his own. The Netherlands struggled to build momentum as they consistently lost wickets, ultimately posting a total of just 136 for 8, despite contributions from Teja Nidamanuru (26) and Aryan Dutt (an unbeaten 13 off 8).
Chasing 137, Bangladesh made the target look effortless. Skipper Litton Das led the charge with a brilliant half-century, reaching the milestone in just 26 balls. He played a stylish and aggressive innings, hitting six fours and two sixes on his way to a fluent 54 not out from 29 balls. Tanzid Hasan Tamim provided strong support with a quick 29 before his dismissal, but by then, the hosts were already well on their way to a comfortable victory.
Bangladesh's pursuit of 137 was spearheaded by a brilliant, unbeaten half-century from their captain, Litton Das, who anchored the chase with a fluent 54 off just 29 balls. After a quick contribution from Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Saif Hassan joined Das and put the game away with a destructive cameo. Hassan smashed 36 not out from only 19 balls, helping seal a comprehensive victory for his team in just 13.3 overs.
The Dutch bowlers were left with no answers for the aggressive Bangladeshi batting attack, managing to take only two wickets throughout the chase. With this Bangladesh have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Meanwhile, the second T20I between Netherlands and Bangladesh will be played on September 1