Litton’s Sylhet run sparks hope

For the record book, Bangladesh captain Litton Das' fiifty
against the Netherlands in the dead-rubber third T20I in Sylhet yesterday holds
some significance. With it, the wicketkeeper-batter overtook Shakib Al Hasan
for the most fifties, 14, in the format for the Tigers.
However,
that's not the only record Litton made with his blazing 73-run knock off 46
deliveries at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. In the same innings, he
repeated a small personal milestone, something that would hardly be a footnote
in his career but for Bangladesh and the batter could hold greater significance
soon.
As a batter, Litton had a dream run in the just-concluded
series. The 30-year-old hit a couple of half-centuries, scored his runs at a
rate exceeding 155, and made 145 runs in total, his best ever tally in a
bilateral series. Moreover, as he only got out once in the series in the final
game, his series average stands at a staggering 145.
But the
stat arguably the most important for Bangladesh is that this is the first time
in over five years that the right-hander has managed to put together two
50-plus scores in one bilateral T20I series. He has done it only once before in
his career, against Zimbabwe at home back in March 2020, when he made 59 and 60
not out in back-to-back games in Mirpur.
Litton's
entire career is full of incredible highs followed by a series of duds -- a
pattern he has seemingly inherited from other supremely talented cricketers
from Bangladesh's previous generation.
In July,
for instance, the 30-year-old had hit 76 off 50 balls against Sri Lanka, but in
the following series against Pakistan in the same month he could not get into
double figures in three consecutive innings.
His latest
innings was far from spotless. He was dropped twice: first in the fourth over
by Shariz Ahmad at the deep mid-wicket boundary when he was on 37, and then by
Tim Pringle in the 13th over when he was on 68.
Moreover,
he missed a chance to reach the triple-figure mark, as when he got out there
were still 35 balls left in the innings. However, considering how the pitch had
seemingly slowed down following a rain interruption, and Litton kept on trying
to up the ante in spite of it, this missed opportunity can be forgiven.
Even
though the opponents were far from equal to Bangladesh in terms of strength,
Litton consistently scoring runs for Bangladesh, and that too with an attacking
approach, should be considered a net positive for the Tigers heading into the
Asia Cup, which begins on September 9 in the UAE.
Although
the innings had little impact on the game, which got called off following a
second rain interruption with the hosts on 164-4 in 18.2 overs, if this series
could spark a consistent scoring streak for Litton heading into the Asia Cup,
something special could be in the offing for the Tigers in the event.
















