Liton ‘artist’ Das paints the long waited ‘Monalisa’
Bangladesh's Liton Das plays a shot en route to his maiden Test hundred during the opening day of their first Test against Pakistan at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong Friday (photo: AFP)
Syed Faiz Ahmed from Chittagong
Publish : 27 Nov 2021, 08:31 AMUpdate : 10 Feb 2022, 10:11 PM
The sun was setting in the horizon and the floodlights of Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium being switched on while in the middle, an artistic batsman was shining like bright sunlight yet the omen of past horrors were haunting like a dark spirit.
Liton Das, arguably the most stylish batsman of Bangladesh, has been the name of an enigma, and his career so far is a story more of agony than satisfaction.
Ian Bishop, former West Indies great and commentator once said Liton's bat is like a paintbrush which draws Monalisa on the cricket ground when he is in form.
On Friday, Liton’s bat was drawn like a maestro’s painting brush as he mesmerized with silky touches, immaculate timing and dominated both against pacers and spinners alike with full authority.
His majestic late cuts and eye-popping square drives would strengthen the worshiper of a cricket temple who believes the game is a mere form of art and the green is nothing but a huge canvas.
But cricket is not a mere art rather a delicate balance of aesthetics and number.
For a batsman, three-figure is the vital relic that must be amassed to reach the level of greatness.
Despite his artistic prowess Liton failed to reach that magic figure since his debut back in 2015 and even his staunch admirers became more and more frustrated.
His epic failure in the recent T20 World Cup made things even worse.
He faced massive trolls on social media, some even felt he is finished and the situation could not be worse when he entered the arena with his team reeling on 49/4 against a strong bowling lineup on a deck which had tinge of green.
Even when he reached 90-run mark the doubt was there as he got dismissed twice on nervous 90 in his career while trying to score a six on both occasions, illustrating his mental fragility and desperation.
Against all odds, like an epic hero, he delivered, conquered with a body that was cramped but mind with determination.
And that came in a dramatic way as he had to dive to take the single from 99; his image of lying on the floor would depict the remarkable tale of an artist lifting the long lived curse.
A different kind of masterpiece that proves cricket is the microcosm of life, holding all the attributes of the latter.
Despite his failures in T20s Liton is actually enjoying his most consistent form in Tests.
Before the ongoing match he scored 370 runs in five games at an average of 59.87, the highest among wicket-keepers in the Test arena in 2021 so far.
Moreover, it was proved he enjoys batting at middle-order rather than top-order where he was tried on many occasions.
Bangladesh batting coach Ashwell Prince was ecstatic and had faith in him.
“I didn’t ask anything of him during the T20 series. He came here earlier to prepare for the Tests. We worked on one or two little technical things. Not a great deal of things. It was more about changing his stance, and basically his alignment to get him lined up better. I think he showed good balance at the crease. He is such a joy to watch. He makes batting look so easy when he is batting well,” said Prince after the end of the day’s play.
Bangladeshi fans would hope this is the watershed moment and as the curse is uplifted the paint brush of Liton would draw many more masterpieces in forthcoming days.
Liton ‘artist’ Das paints the long waited ‘Monalisa’
The sun was setting in the horizon and the floodlights of Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium being switched on while in the middle, an artistic batsman was shining like bright sunlight yet the omen of past horrors were haunting like a dark spirit.
Liton Das, arguably the most stylish batsman of Bangladesh, has been the name of an enigma, and his career so far is a story more of agony than satisfaction.
Ian Bishop, former West Indies great and commentator once said Liton's bat is like a paintbrush which draws Monalisa on the cricket ground when he is in form.
On Friday, Liton’s bat was drawn like a maestro’s painting brush as he mesmerized with silky touches, immaculate timing and dominated both against pacers and spinners alike with full authority.
His majestic late cuts and eye-popping square drives would strengthen the worshiper of a cricket temple who believes the game is a mere form of art and the green is nothing but a huge canvas.
But cricket is not a mere art rather a delicate balance of aesthetics and number.
For a batsman, three-figure is the vital relic that must be amassed to reach the level of greatness.
Despite his artistic prowess Liton failed to reach that magic figure since his debut back in 2015 and even his staunch admirers became more and more frustrated.
His epic failure in the recent T20 World Cup made things even worse.
He faced massive trolls on social media, some even felt he is finished and the situation could not be worse when he entered the arena with his team reeling on 49/4 against a strong bowling lineup on a deck which had tinge of green.
Even when he reached 90-run mark the doubt was there as he got dismissed twice on nervous 90 in his career while trying to score a six on both occasions, illustrating his mental fragility and desperation.
Against all odds, like an epic hero, he delivered, conquered with a body that was cramped but mind with determination.
And that came in a dramatic way as he had to dive to take the single from 99; his image of lying on the floor would depict the remarkable tale of an artist lifting the long lived curse.
A different kind of masterpiece that proves cricket is the microcosm of life, holding all the attributes of the latter.
Despite his failures in T20s Liton is actually enjoying his most consistent form in Tests.
Before the ongoing match he scored 370 runs in five games at an average of 59.87, the highest among wicket-keepers in the Test arena in 2021 so far.
Moreover, it was proved he enjoys batting at middle-order rather than top-order where he was tried on many occasions.
Bangladesh batting coach Ashwell Prince was ecstatic and had faith in him.
“I didn’t ask anything of him during the T20 series. He came here earlier to prepare for the Tests. We worked on one or two little technical things. Not a great deal of things. It was more about changing his stance, and basically his alignment to get him lined up better. I think he showed good balance at the crease. He is such a joy to watch. He makes batting look so easy when he is batting well,” said Prince after the end of the day’s play.
Bangladeshi fans would hope this is the watershed moment and as the curse is uplifted the paint brush of Liton would draw many more masterpieces in forthcoming days.
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