Bangladesh cruised to an eight-wicket win over the Netherlands in the first T20I at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Chasing 137, captain Liton Das led from the front with a brisk half-century, well supported by Saif Hassan’s quickfire cameo.
Bangladesh sealed victory with 6.3 overs to spare.Earlier, Taskin Ahmed’s fiery spell set the tone for Bangladesh as he grabbed four wickets, while Saif, returning to the T20I side for the first time since October 2023, picked up his maiden two wickets in the format. Their combined effort restricted the visitors to 136 after the hosts opted to bowl first.
For the Netherlands, Max O’Dowd gave his side a positive start with three early boundaries off Shoriful Islam and a six against Mahedi Hasan. But Taskin struck with his very first delivery to remove O’Dowd, before dismissing Vikramjit Singh in his next over.
Teja Nidamanuru’s counterattack briefly lifted Dutch hopes, hammering Taskin for a six and four in quick succession, but Saif halted the momentum in one decisive over. He removed skipper Scott Edwards, brilliantly caught by Jaker Ali at long leg, and then Nidamanuru, who holed out to deep midwicket.
Mustafizur Rahman added to the pressure by dismissing Shariz Ahmad, and Taskin returned to claim two more scalps as the Netherlands could only manage 136, scoring just 52 runs in their final eight overs.
Bangladesh will look to wrap up the series when the two sides meet again in the second T20I.