After a confident win in the first match against the UAE, Bangladesh were riding high. To fine-tune their preparation, they scheduled an additional match against a lower-ranked opponent. But what was intended as a tune-up turned into a disaster. While Liton Das’ side showed some fight in the second match, by the third game, Bangladesh were completely outplayed and failed to compete at any stage.
Bangladesh lost the third match by a massive 7-wicket margin. Overall, this marks their 11th defeat against associate nations in T20Is, and officially their 10th in recognized matches. In terms of series, it is their third loss to an associate nation. Alarmingly, Bangladesh have now lost to associate teams twice within the last 12 months.
In an eerie coincidence, Bangladesh had lost a series to the USA on May 21, 2024. Exactly one year later, on May 21, 2025, they lost another series—this time to the UAE. The result added two unwanted world records to Bangladesh’s cricket history.
Bangladesh has now become the first full ICC member among the nine Test Championship teams to lose 10 T20 internationals to associate nations. No other team has come close: the next highest is the West Indies with four such losses.
Most T20I losses to Associate Nations
(Among ICC World Test Championship teams)
10 – Bangladesh
4 – West Indies
3 – England
2 – Pakistan
2 – South Africa
But the embarrassment doesn’t stop there.
Excluding Zimbabwe, Bangladesh is the only Test-playing nation to lose multiple T20I series to associate teams. And among the World Test Championship teams, they stand alone as the only side ever to lose a T20I series to an associate nation.
T20I Series Defeats to Associate Nations
6 – Zimbabwe
3 – Bangladesh
Historic Win for UAE
The UAE’s victory over Bangladesh is now part of history. Previously, in 2012, Bangladesh lost a one-match series to Scotland during a tour of Ireland and the Netherlands. Within the last year, they’ve added losses to both the USA and UAE—making it a particularly grim chapter for Bangladesh cricket.
UA / TDS
