Netherlands set for historic first bilateral T20I series in Bangladesh

The Netherlands will embark on their first-ever bilateral series in Bangladesh later this month, offering Bangladesh valuable match practice ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, which begins on September 9 in the UAE.

The Dutch side is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on August 26 before heading to Sylhet, where they will undergo a three-day training camp. The three-match T20I series will begin on August 30, with all games to be held at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The second and third T20Is are scheduled for September 1 and 3, respectively, with all matches set to start at 6:00 PM local time.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) arranged the Netherlands series following the postponement of India’s scheduled tour, which was to include three ODIs and three T20Is between August 17 and 31. The postponement left a gap in Bangladesh’s schedule, and the board initially also explored discussions with the Nepal Cricket Board before finalising the Netherlands series.

The Netherlands have played in Bangladesh before during the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup, where they famously defeated Ireland to advance to the main round. However, this marks their first bilateral series on Bangladeshi soil. Bangladesh and the Netherlands have faced off in five T20 internationals, with Bangladesh winning four of them. The only previous bilateral series between the two nations occurred in 2012, when the Netherlands hosted Bangladesh for two T20Is.

As part of their preparation, Bangladesh will begin a training camp on August 6 at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur, Dhaka. The camp will be conducted under the supervision of trainer Nathan Keily. Skills training is scheduled to start on August 15 before the camp transitions to Sylhet on August 20, just ahead of the series.

“The camp will begin in Dhaka on 6th August. Everyone will arrive and it will start with fitness training. However, before the start of the skills training part, the camp will move to Sylhet,” BCB cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedin.

“The coaches will begin to arrive around the 11th, 12th, or 13th. Once the coaches are here, skill-training will begin but that camp will then shift from here (Dhaka). We are hoping to move the camp to Sylhet. The team will train there for a few days. Then, we will play the series against the Netherlands there,” he added.

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