Bangladesh all-rounder Mahedi Hasan said it is important to practice on good pitches to do well on the world stage. The Asia Cup 2025 is coming soon, and the T20 World Cup will be held next year.

Most of Bangladesh’s home matches are played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. But the pitch there has been criticised many times for being uneven and hard to play on. The problem came up again in the recent match against Pakistan, and even the coach was worried about the pitch quality.

On the other hand, grounds in Chattogram and Sylhet have made better pitches, especially when they are not used too much. Mahedi said that playing on balanced wickets will help the Tigers get ready for big matches, where ICC pitches usually give a fair chance to both batters and bowlers.

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Mahedi Hasan Wants Better Pitches for Preparation

"It's important to prepare on good wickets. In ICC or global events, the pitches are better and any small mistake can cost you. From a batting point of view, if the wicket is not good, you have to either block or go for big shots. On a good pitch, you can take singles and doubles, which is very important for any team," Mahedi told Cricbuzz.

The Mirpur pitch is known for being unpredictable, but Mahedi feels the team should also use other venues before big tournaments. "We know what to expect in Mirpur – sometimes the bounce is unpredictable. But we could also train in Chattogram or Sylhet, where the wickets are better."

Confident About His Own Game

Talking about his own performance, Mahedi said he can adapt to any condition. "If you look at my performances abroad, I have not done badly. I don’t think I can play well only on certain pitches. I am always trying to improve as a cricketer," he said.

The Asia Cup 2025 will be played in the T20 format and will be an important preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February. Eight teams will take part, divided into two groups. Group A has Pakistan, India, UAE, and Oman. Group B has Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong. The tournament will start with a Group B match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong on September 9.

Bangladesh created history by winning the three-match away T20I series against the hosts Sri Lanka after thrashing them in the T20I series decider by a record margin. 

At the 1-1 series level situation, Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka chose to bat first in the third and final game of the T20I series at Colombo (RPS) on Wednesday evening (July 16). While Sri Lanka scored 132/7 in 20 overs, the visitors chased down the target in 16.3 overs after losing only two wickets. With an eight-wicket win with 21 balls remaining, Bangladesh recorded their joint largest T20I win (by wickets) against Sri Lanka and also the largest T20I win (by balls remaining) against the same team. 

Bangladesh won their first T20I series against Sri Lanka

With this win, Bangladesh won this away T20I series by 2-1, which became their first bilateral T20I series win against Sri Lanka. Previously, the Tigers lost three T20I bilateral series and drew one T20I bilateral series against Sri Lanka (excluding one-off T20I).

Player of the Match Mahedi Hasan dominated with the ball

The hosts had an off start as they scored 40/3 in the powerplay. Apart from the opener Pathum Nissanka, the other four out of the first five Lankan batters failed to reach double-digit scores, as the hosts were struggling at 49/4. While Nissanka scored the highest runs in the innings with 46 off 39 balls with four fours, Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka were the others to reach double-digit scores in that innings. Mendis scored 21 runs, and Shanaka fought hard to score 35 not out off 25 balls with four fours and two sixes. In the last over of the innings, Sri Lanka added 22 runs, while Shanaka scored 20 runs out of those. 

The off-spinner Mahedi Hasan was the hero of the evening with the ball as he had the bowling figures of 4-1-11-4. He dismissed four out of the first five Lankan batters, including the important wicket of the opener Pathum Nissanka.

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Tanzid Hasan assured a comfortable win

In reply, although the opener Parvez Hossain Emon lost his wicket on the first ball of the innings, another opener Tanzid Hasan batted strongly and got enough support from the other batters to secure a comfortable win. Hasan had a 74-run partnership with the skipper Litton Das for the second wicket. The Player of the Series, skipper Litton Das, scored 32 runs in the match before getting out. However, Hasan continued his strong batting performance with the next batter Towhid Hridoy to ensure no more frustrating hiccups for the visitors. They had the 59-run partnership for the unbroken third wicket, where Hridoy scored 27 not out and Hasan scored 73 not out off 47 balls with one four and six sixes. 

Bangladesh create history on Sunday night by recording their first T20I win against West Indies in West Indies, as the visitors won the three-match T20I series opener by seven runs.

After West Indies captain Rovman Powell chose to field first at Arnos Vale Stadium, Bangladesh scored 147/6 in 20 overs. In reply, West Indies were all out for 140 runs in 19.5 overs. After scoring a vital 26 not out off 24 balls, Player of the Match Mahedi Hasan also picked up four wickets with the ball. 

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Soumya Sarkar and Jaker Ali had a 50+ partnership

Bangladesh lost their first three wickets inside the powerplay as the opener Tanzid Hasan (6), captain Litton Das (0), and Afif Hossain (8) were dismissed in the single digits. Another opener Soumya Sarkar and Jaker Ali handled the situation with a 57-run fourth-wicket partnership. While Ali scored run-a-ball 27 runs with one four and two sixes, Sarkar scored 43 off 32 balls with two fours and three sixes. 

Mahedi Hasan and Shamim Hossain finished strongly

In the late stage of the innings, Mahedi Hasan and Shamim Hossain set up another 49-run partnership for the sixth wicket. While Shamim had a powerful cameo off 27 off 13 balls with one four and three sixes, Mahedi was not out on 26 off 24 balls. 

Among the Caribbean bowlers, Akeal Hosein (2/13) and Obed McCoy (2/30) picked up two wickets each in the first innings.

Rovman Powell's powerful knock went in vain

In the chasing, only the skipper Rovman Powell produced some firing reply, but the visitors claimed a close victory as the Caribbean skipper didn’t get sufficient support. While Powell came to bat at the score of 37/4, the batting collapse moved further to 61/7. 

However, Powell smashed 60 off 35 balls with the help of five fours and four sixes. Meanwhile, Romario Shepherd provided the only good support as he scored 22 off 17 balls (two fours and one six). Their 67-run partnership in 33 balls for the eighth wicket almost stunned the visitors. Apart from them, only the opener Johnson Charles (20) reached a double-digit score in that innings.

Hasan Mahmud was incredible in the final over

In the final over of the match, West Indies required 10 runs and two wickets in hand, including Rovman Powell. Hasan Mahmud had the crucial role in the final over, who dismissed Powell in the third ball after conceding only one run in the first two balls. Later, Mahmud wrapped up the game by dismissing Alzarri Joseph (9). 

Mahedi Hasan took four wickets in the game as he had the bowling figures of 4-0-13-4. Apart from Hasan Mahmud (2/18), Taskin Ahmed (2/28) also bagged two wickets.  

It was Bangladesh's third T20I win in the West Indies, after beating Netherlands and Nepal this year during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. So, it was Bangladesh's first T20I victory against the hosts West Indies.