A three-match T20I series will be played between Bangladesh and the Netherlands at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The dates of this series were not announced yet. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s cricket operations chairman, Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, confirmed this development on Sunday, August 3. Fahim also said that this series would play a vital role in Bangladesh’s preparations for the upcoming Asia Cup. This tournament is slated to be played in the United Arab Emirates from September 9.
Bangladesh will start training for the Asia Cup as well as this series against the Netherlands from August 6 in Dhaka. First, the players will start fitness training at the beginning of the preparatory camp. They will also begin skill work once the national team coaches arrive by August 13th. Fahim also mentioned that Sylhet was chosen due to its propensity to provide run-scoring pitches that allow batters to flourish, which is essential in T20 cricket. The Netherlands are expected to arrive in Bangladesh for their first-ever bilateral T20I series in this country by August 14.
“The camp will begin in Dhaka on the 6th, starting with fitness training. The coaches will begin arriving on the 11th, 12th, or 13th. Once they’re here, we’ll shift to skill work. After that, the camp will move to Sylhet. We’ll practice there for a few days and, Insha’Allah, play the series against the Netherlands in Sylhet,” said Fahim.
“We can’t replicate foreign wickets exactly. But the best possible batting surface we have here is probably in Sylhet, where there are decent scoring opportunities. In T20s, you need pitches that allow for runs, and Sylhet offers that. We’re trying to host the games there so we can prepare as ideally as possible,” he added.
In the 2025 Asia Cup, Bangladesh was drawn alongside Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong in Group B. India, Pakistan, Oman, and the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, make up Group A. The Bangla Tigers will play their first game against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi on September 11. Two days later, they will take on Sri Lanka at the same venue. They will conclude their group stage engagements with Afghanistan, also at the same venue, on September 16. All the matches that the Bangla Tigers play in will begin at 8 PM Bangladesh time. Bangladesh have yet to win the Asia Cup, despite finishing runners-up three times (2012, 2016, and 2018).
