The ICC released the schedule for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India on Wednesday, confirming who Bangladesh will face, where they will play and when their group campaign begins, with captain Litton Das saying he is satisfied with both the draw and the venues.
Bangladesh open the tournament on 7 February at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where they will face West Indies at 3 pm Bangladesh time. They remain in Kolkata for their following two fixtures, meeting Italy on 9 February at 11 am and England on 14 February at 3 pm. Their final group match is on 17 February in Mumbai, where they will play Nepal at 7 pm.
Litton said the fixture list should produce competitive cricket, noting that all sides in the group are suited to the T20 format. “My feeling is that the matches should be very good in T20 cricket. All the teams are strong teams for this format,” he said. He added that playing three matches in a row in one city could help Bangladesh. “If we play in Kolkata, one advantage is that we will play three games in a row there. It can be a plus point,” he said. “We will try to play our best cricket.”
The Bangladesh captain also stressed that the upcoming three match series against Ireland is a key part of their preparation. “I want our players to face tough situations here too,” he said. “What happened in the last series was that we could not win from those situations. This time we will try to come out of difficult positions and win matches.”
Although Ireland are viewed as a weaker side, Litton said he expects his team to respect their opponents while still aiming for dominant performances. “With the team we have and the capability we have, if we can play one hundred percent cricket on our day, of course a dominating win is possible,” he said. “At the same time, you have to respect every team in cricket. Whoever plays better cricket on the day, the game will go their way.”
