In a bid to continue its recent rejuvenation in the shortest format of the game, Bangladesh will take on United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the two-match series opening T20 match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium tomorrow (Saturday).
The match, which starts at 9pm (Bangladesh Time), will be broadcast live on T-Sports.
Liton Das will lead Bangladesh as permanent captain for the first time in this match. His shrewd leadership was key in Bangladesh's historical 3-0 whitewash against West Indies on Caribbean soil in December last year, which was the side's last assignment in this format.
Even though Liton was out of sorts with the willow in the Caribbean tour, his tactical nous as a captain was so impressive that the management kept faith in him and gave him the captaincy on a permanent basis in this format.
Liton will definitely try to make this one as memorable but he said he is eying long-term success for which the UAE series will be a stepping stone.
"Definitely we want to win this series (UAE series). In fact, our target is always the same; we want to win any game that we play," Liton said ahead of leaving the country. "But we want long term success as a team. We want to build a strong team that can win against any opposition in any condition."
Considering the gulf of difference between the two sides in terms of strength and cricket culture, Bangladesh should win the series with ease.
In fact, they have won all three matches against UAE, they have played so far. Last time Bangladesh toured UAE in 2022 and won the two-match series with incredible ease.
But Bangladesh's overall T20 record is not praiseworthy in any sense. They have played 182 matches, winning 71 and losing 107.
If Bangladesh can win these two matches, they can not only make the record slightly more respectable, but also would extend their winning streak to five in this format, something which will give them a morale boost, especially as the team prepares for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
But there is a sense of belief that Liton's off form may have an adverse impact on his captaincy.
Liton, however, played down the pressure, saying that captaincy responsibility might play a role in getting him back to form.
"Even when I wasn't captain, my performance was bad. That doesn't mean it will be bad now, " he said.
"This (captaincy) can be a plus point. I believe that those who think positively, even if they fail for some days, the results will come. I am in that place. I am thinking positively so that I can bring the result in my favour."
The 30-year-old wicket-keeper batter urged the teammates to play with full responsibility.
"If the Bangladesh team is to move forward, the cricketers will have to take responsibility. The team will move forward only if we play well," he remarked.
While the series is part of Bangladesh's preparation for the upcoming Asia Cup, it offers UAE a valuable opportunity to fine-tune their own combinations against high-quality opposition.
Bangladesh squad: Liton Das (captain), Mahedi Hasan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali Anik, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana, and Shoriful Islam.
UAE squad: Muhammad Waseem (captain), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D'Souza, Haider Ali, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Zuhaib, Rahul Chopra, Saghir Khan, Sanchit Sharma and Simranjeet Singh.
Source: BSS
