Bangladesh's Liton Das kisses his helmet after reaching his maiden Test hundred as batting partner Mushfiqur Rahim looks on 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 : 28 Nov 2021, 08:31 AMUpdate : 29 Dec 2021, 04:45 PM
Bangladesh batsman Liton Das believes the rest he got after being dropped from the T20 side helped him get success in the Test match.
Liton scored the maiden century of his Test career against Pakistan during the first day of the ongoing match but he underwent a traumatic experience as he faced widespread criticism before getting dropped from the T20 setup following continuous bad run of form.
Liton, one of the most stylish batsmen of the country, became the villain in the eyes of many fans when he dropped two sitters against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup and for his abysmal batting form and he was axed from the side following the Tigers' disastrous campaign in the world event.
He did not feature in the three-game T20 series against Pakistan in their ongoing tour and went back to take part in the domestic cricket league.
“I think we got the main result from the break I was given after the T20 World Cup. Maybe they wanted me to do well in the Tests,” said Liton during a virtual press conference after the end of second day’s play at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the port city Saturday.
Despite Liton’s ability of playing all kinds of strokes, his lack of consistency is a major disappointment for Bangladesh team.
The centurion admitted consistently good preparation helps achieve good results and emphasized on working with technique all the time.
“It is always a difficult question about consistency. Everyone tries to be consistent. I will continue the process of my last six or seven Tests. I can’t expect to score a hundred in my next innings. I have to start from zero next time. It is always a challenge, but I will try to stick to my process," said the wicketkeeper-batsman.
“I played a first-class match after the T20 World Cup. I had this Test series in mind. I didn’t expect too much from myself, but I prepared adequately.
“The technical aspects are crucial. Even the smallest change in your stance can make a huge difference. It could change the style of play. It is nothing new. When I was in BKSP playing the National Cricket League match, I spoke to (Nazmul Abedeen) Fahim sir and Montu sir about this particular problem. I worked with him (batting coach Ashwell Prince) in Chittagong, when he felt I needed a small change. I won’t say I did well because I changed my stance. I worked hard to come to this stage.”
Bangladesh were reeling on 49/4 when Liton came to the crease and added 204 runs alongside Mushfiqur Rahim before stamps on the opening day.
But Liton got out for 114, adding just one more run in the second morning, and ultimately Bangladesh were bundled out for 330.
“I had plenty of small partnerships with (Mushfiq) bhaiya. This one was a big partnership. It feels great when your partner helps you, motivates you. Together we overcame a tough situation. Bhaiya kept telling me to stick around, especially when I was cramping towards the end of the day. He said it would be tough for a new batsman. I just wanted to survive till the end of the day.”
Pakistan made a strong reply as their openers remained unbeaten with a score of 145/0 at stumps on day two but Liton hoped two to three wickets early on day three will bring back parity in the match.
“We are not thinking about the result. This is the second day. If Mushfiq bhai and I extended our partnership, we could have scored 400-450. The scenario would have been different. But the match will be back in the balance if we can take two or three wickets early (Sunday). The run rate is steady. It is difficult to score quickly on this pitch. A lot depends on the third day."
Liton: Break from T20 helped me do well in Test
Bangladesh batsman Liton Das believes the rest he got after being dropped from the T20 side helped him get success in the Test match.
Liton scored the maiden century of his Test career against Pakistan during the first day of the ongoing match but he underwent a traumatic experience as he faced widespread criticism before getting dropped from the T20 setup following continuous bad run of form.
Liton, one of the most stylish batsmen of the country, became the villain in the eyes of many fans when he dropped two sitters against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup and for his abysmal batting form and he was axed from the side following the Tigers' disastrous campaign in the world event.
He did not feature in the three-game T20 series against Pakistan in their ongoing tour and went back to take part in the domestic cricket league.
“I think we got the main result from the break I was given after the T20 World Cup. Maybe they wanted me to do well in the Tests,” said Liton during a virtual press conference after the end of second day’s play at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the port city Saturday.
Despite Liton’s ability of playing all kinds of strokes, his lack of consistency is a major disappointment for Bangladesh team.
The centurion admitted consistently good preparation helps achieve good results and emphasized on working with technique all the time.
“It is always a difficult question about consistency. Everyone tries to be consistent. I will continue the process of my last six or seven Tests. I can’t expect to score a hundred in my next innings. I have to start from zero next time. It is always a challenge, but I will try to stick to my process," said the wicketkeeper-batsman.
“I played a first-class match after the T20 World Cup. I had this Test series in mind. I didn’t expect too much from myself, but I prepared adequately.
“The technical aspects are crucial. Even the smallest change in your stance can make a huge difference. It could change the style of play. It is nothing new. When I was in BKSP playing the National Cricket League match, I spoke to (Nazmul Abedeen) Fahim sir and Montu sir about this particular problem. I worked with him (batting coach Ashwell Prince) in Chittagong, when he felt I needed a small change. I won’t say I did well because I changed my stance. I worked hard to come to this stage.”
Bangladesh were reeling on 49/4 when Liton came to the crease and added 204 runs alongside Mushfiqur Rahim before stamps on the opening day.
But Liton got out for 114, adding just one more run in the second morning, and ultimately Bangladesh were bundled out for 330.
“I had plenty of small partnerships with (Mushfiq) bhaiya. This one was a big partnership. It feels great when your partner helps you, motivates you. Together we overcame a tough situation. Bhaiya kept telling me to stick around, especially when I was cramping towards the end of the day. He said it would be tough for a new batsman. I just wanted to survive till the end of the day.”
Pakistan made a strong reply as their openers remained unbeaten with a score of 145/0 at stumps on day two but Liton hoped two to three wickets early on day three will bring back parity in the match.
“We are not thinking about the result. This is the second day. If Mushfiq bhai and I extended our partnership, we could have scored 400-450. The scenario would have been different. But the match will be back in the balance if we can take two or three wickets early (Sunday). The run rate is steady. It is difficult to score quickly on this pitch. A lot depends on the third day."
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