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Bangladesh captain Liton Das hopes that their T20I series against the Netherlands that starts in Sylhet on Saturday will be perfect preparation for the forthcoming Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28.

The Tigers have had a long break since their three-match T20 series against Pakistan last month, as the scheduled India series had been deferred to next year.

As a result, Liton & Co kept themselves busy in fitness and skill training in both Dhaka and Sylhet.

‘We will play to win,’ Liton told reporters at the Sylhet International Stadium on Thursday.

 ‘We don’t have that much time, as the Asia Cup will come right after this series. Before the Asia Cup, it will be a good series.’

He also reminded everyone that things can go south at any time in a game of cricket.

‘Bangladesh have lost to too many teams before; that is nothing new. Two teams have come to win; one of them will lose. But the thing is, how good we are playing,’ said Liton.

‘Every international match is challenging; the Netherlands are also a good team. They might not be used to playing in these types of conditions, but they are used to playing on good wickets. If the wicket is good, then both sides will face challenges,’ he added.

After playing on some tricky wickets at Mirpur, Liton now hopes the Sylhet wickets will bring some fresh air.

However, adverse weather hampered Bangladesh’s preparation going into the series. They also had to call off the scheduled practice on Thursday. But the overall condition is giving some hope to Liton.

‘The conditions in the Asia Cup will most probably be similar to this. So, I think, we can bring a good thing in the Asia Cup from this series,’ he added. 

The good wickets will also be helpful as far as the Asia Cup is concerned, according to Liton.

He said, ‘There will be different oppositions in the Asia Cup. But the condition should be pretty much similar. Because we all know the wickets are batting-friendly there.’

Bangladesh brought in Nurul Hasan and Saif Hassan in place of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mohammad Naim, respectively, for the series.

Liton stated that the approach of the players will be accountable.

‘This is T20; you can get out at any time while playing aggressive cricket. We, the team management, will understand what the player is trying to do. If we are convinced that he is ready to give everything to the team, then obviously the team management will back him,’ he said.

Bangladesh have recently hired Julian Wood, a specialist power-hitting coach, for a three-week programme.

In response to a question about working with Wood, Liton stated that any changes would be evident in the matches.

He said, ‘See, no one can change everything in two to three days. But he had some thought processes which were new to us. We worked on those. Let’s see, we haven’t played any matches since he came. So, it can be seen in the Netherlands series whether the Bangladesh team has developed.’