Bangladesh crush Netherlands by 8 wickets to take 1–0 lead in T20 series

Bangladesh began their three-match T20 series in emphatic fashion, thrashing the Netherlands by eight wickets with 39 balls to spare at the Sylhet International Stadium on Saturday (August 30).

Captain Litton Das led from the front with a blistering 54 off 29 balls, his 13th T20 half-century, equaling Shakib Al Hasan’s career tally. Remarkably, Litton reached the milestone in 108 matches, compared to Shakib’s 128.

Returning to the national side after two years, Saif Hasan produced a superb all-round display—claiming 2 wickets with the ball before hammering 36 runs off 19 deliveries in a match-winning partnership with Litton.

Earlier, opener Tanzid Tamim departed for 29.

After losing the toss, the Netherlands struggled against Bangladesh’s pace attack and were bowled out for just 136 runs in 20 overs. Taskin Ahmed starred with the ball, taking 4 for 28, while Saif and Mustafizur Rahman chipped in with two and one wicket respectively.

For the visitors, Teja Nidamanuru (26), Max O'Dowd (23), Tim Pringle (16) and Shariz Ahmad (15) offered some resistance before they were bowled out for 136.

With this dominant win, Bangladesh now lead the series 1–0. The second T20 will be played at the same venue on Monday (September 1) at 6pm.