A series won, an opportunity missed

When it comes to guessing which side of a tossed coin will come up on top, Bangladesh T20I captain Litton Das' track record isn't too great.

In the 18 T20Is he has captained Bangladesh, including the second T20I against Netherlands in Sylhet on Monday, Litton has won the toss only six times.

In the ongoing series, however, Litton called correctly in both matches so far – winning two tosses in a row in a bilateral series for the first time.

Arguably, his toss winning streak came in a series where toss was hardly a factor in the outcome as just like the opening game, which the hosts had won by eight wickets, the Tigers mauled the Dutch in the second T20I, winning by nine wickets and taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

On Monday, Nasum Ahmed, named player-of-the-match, picked up 3-21 while Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed claimed a couple of wickets each to wrap up the Dutch for just 103 in 17.3 overs. In reply, Tanzid Hasan Tamim hit an unbeaten 54 off 40 as the hosts completed a clinical nine-wicket in just 13.1 overs.

The dominating victories against the Dutch, on the back of consecutive T20I series wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, should bolster the confidence of Litton and Co heading into the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9 in the UAE.

However, as this series is a preparatory series for the Asia Cup, where Bangladesh would likely have to put up bigger scores to be competitive, choosing not to bat first in both matches made little sense.

Before the series, Litton and head coach Phil Simmons had talked about not being worried about criticism if they lose to the Dutch. But during the series, after winning the toss, Bangladesh made the choice that would aid them most in winning the contest.

"Scoring 200-250 is a matter of habit," Litton had told the media before the series. But will chasing paltry totals against a weaker opponent help instill this habit, is a question the team's think-tank should ask themselves.