Ryan Cook, coach of the Netherlands, isn’t hiding his concerns about what awaits his team in Sylhet. The pitch, the weather — both could shape the series before a ball is bowled.

“The last time I was here was probably back in 2018 or 2019 against West Indies,” Cook told reporters a day before the series.

“We’ve looked at how it played during the last BPL and T20Is. That gives us some idea, but until we’re out there it’s guesswork. Hopefully it’ll be a fair wicket, something in it for bat and ball,” he said. 

So far only 13 T20 internationals have been staged at the ground, but the reputation is clear enough: plenty of runs. In last season’s BPL, five totals crossed 200.

And then there’s the rain. Thursday’s downpour wiped out training.

“You can’t control the weather,” Cook said with a shrug. “We’ve only had one proper day to train, which isn’t perfect. But that’s what it is.”

Even with the setbacks, he insisted the Dutch would be ready.

Bangladesh open busy stretch with Netherlands T20Is

“We’ve been preparing on good wickets back home. If we play the way we know we can, we’re capable of beating anyone. We’ve shown that before.”

The first of three matches against Bangladesh starts Saturday evening. Rain isn’t in the forecast, but in Sylhet the skies rarely play by the script.