Bangladesh will look to seal a 3-0 series sweep when they take on the Netherlands in the final T20I today, after the visitors won the toss and elected to field first. With the Asia Cup on the horizon, this series has been the ideal tune-up for the home side, who have dominated in all three departments so far.
The Bangladesh XI for the match features Litton Das as captain and wicketkeeper, alongside Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Nurul Hasan, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib. The home team may look to test their bench strength, but whatever combination they put out, the goal is clear – complete a whitewash, or a “Banglawash” as it is known locally. Their last clean sweep in this format at home came against Afghanistan in July 2023.
For the Netherlands, a consolation win is the best they can hope for. A victory today would offer a much-needed confidence boost after what has been a difficult series. Led by captain and wicketkeeper Scott Edwards, their XI includes Maxwell O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Anil Teja Nidamanuru, Shariz Ahmad, Noah Croes, Tim Pringle, Kyle Klein, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren and Daniel Doram.
The Dutch have been without several key players for this tour, including Bas de Leede, Roelof van der Merwe, Ryan Klein, Fred Klaassen, Michael Levitt and Zach Lion-Cachet. Their absence has been felt, as the visitors have struggled to match Bangladesh’s intensity and quality.
In the opening match, the Netherlands posted a modest 138 before Bangladesh chased it down with ease, winning by eight wickets and 39 balls to spare. Things worsened in the second T20I, where the tourists were bowled out for just 103 runs, handing the hosts a comfortable nine-wicket victory. Adapting to Sylhet’s high humidity and heavy dew has proved a challenge, with their batting lineup failing to find any rhythm.
For Bangladesh, this final match offers a chance to maintain momentum and end the series on a high ahead of their upcoming campaign. For the Netherlands, the pressure is on to avoid a whitewash and return home with something to build upon. Whether they can pull off an upset or not, remains to be seen.
