Bangladesh vs Netherlands Women T20 World Cup Preview & Tips - Bangladesh backed for victory in World Cup opener

The Netherlands were handed a fourth consecutive loss heading into the World Cup with their seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka another disappointing result. 

Their loss to New Zealand was not a surprising one considering the difference in quality between the pair, but their defeat at the hands of Ireland was one that will have hurt their confidence. Restricting Ireland to 25/2, 43/4 and 90/6 saw Bangladesh on top, but they allowed the last wicket to take Ireland from 112/9 to 143/9. This partnership proved the difference as Ava Canning's 21 from eight won the Irish the match. 

While Bangladesh did end with four wickets still in hand, they were not able to score quickly enough to put Ireland under serious pressure. This defeat was their seventh in their last 10, with Bangladesh not arriving for the World Cup in any kind of form. 

However, fortunately for the nation is who their first opponent will be. The Netherlands have also been poor of late, and Bangladesh will likely make the most out of superior record against their opponents in their opener. 

Batting first, the Netherlands would have been confident of posting a good score at 132/2 after 17.5 overs, but their final few overs resulted in the side going for 11/4 as they fell apart in one of the more worrying spells of batting. With the ball, the Netherlands were able to keep Sri Lanka honest as the latter did not run away with the game, but with only three wickets falling, Sri Lanka winning with five deliveries to spare was not an issue. 

This loss was their fourth successive defeat heading into the World Cup and casts an even larger shadow on the competition. The Netherlands were always up against it to get anything from the tournament, and I predict that one of their most winnable games will end in defeat.