Litton upbeat despite rain washout, says Tigers ready for Asia Cup test

Bangladesh’s final T20I of the three-match series against the Netherlands in Sylhet was abandoned due to rain on Wednesday, denying the Tigers a chance to complete a clean sweep. But captain Litton Das remained upbeat, stressing that both his own form and the team’s collective performances have set Bangladesh up well for the Asia Cup beginning September 9 in the UAE.

“There have been many good series back to back. I am performing, and this is also what the team needs,” Litton told reporters after the match. “When the leader does not perform, the team’s morale is a little down. From that point of view, I will say everyone in my team is performing. I also had a challenge, and I’ve shown improvement and that I can have an impact as part of a very happy team.”

Bangladesh clinched the series 2-0 after convincing wins in the first two matches. Litton, himself, was adjudged the player of the series, thanks to half-centuries in the first and last match, taking his tally to 145 runs at an overall strike-rate of 155.91.

While rain played spoilsport and denied his side further opportunities to bat, Litton pointed out that his side had already gained plenty of positives, particularly from a strong top-order showing.

“No one has control over the weather,” Litton told reporters after the match was called off.

“Of course, it would have been better if more batters had got a chance, but the important thing is we won convincingly in the first two games. That’s a good sign heading into a big event.

“The fact that not all our batters needed to bat shows how well the top order was doing. In the Asia Cup, there will come a day when everyone has to bat, and that’s fine but right now it shows we’re in a good place.

The hosts made five changes in the third match and even got the opportunity to bat first and set a total for the first time in the series.

Saif Hassan was promoted to open the innings as both first-choice openers — Tanzid Tamim and Parvez Emon — were rested. The right-hander couldn’t quite deliver, departing for a 12 off eight balls. Litton, however, grabbed the opportunity of batting first with both hands. He raced to 42 off 16 balls to propel Bangladesh to 60-1 in 4.1 overs before rain interrupted play. After the break, though, Litton could not replicate the same ferocity, adding 31 runs from 29 deliveries to eventually finish on a 46-ball 73, featuring with six fours and four sixes.

Tawhid Hridoy (nine off 14) and Shamim Hossain (21 off 19) struggled to get going, but Jaker Ali (20 off 13) and Nurul Hasan Sohan (22 off 11) upped the ante with brisk knocks to take Bangladesh to 164-4 in 18.2 overs before rain returned, this time forcing the match to be abandoned.

Litton, however, was not to keen on the shortcomings in preparations and wanted to credit the Sylhet camp for the team’s tune-up for the series and the Asia Cup.

“I have never seen such a good camp. The type of cricket we wanted to play, the type of practice we needed, that was possible here in Sylhet. Everyone got quality preparation..

“We are prepared. The camp, the series, the wins, everything has built us up well for the challenge ahead,” he added.