Litton Das Confident Bangladesh T20I Squad Nears World Cup Readiness

Bangladesh defeated Ireland comprehensively in the recently concluded three-match T20I series. Despite losing the first match, the tigers made a strong comeback and won the series by a final margin of 2-1. The captain of Bangladesh, Litton Das, is extremely happy with this effort, saying that the team is ready to play the upcoming 2026 T20I World Cup with full intensity.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Litton Das said that winning under pressure brings out the best in a team. He wants his players to show the same commitment they displayed during the Ireland series, as it exhibited their quality in dealing with pressure moments.

"I wanted the team to win from pressure situations. We couldn't overcome the pressure in the first game but we fought back to win the series. There are many positive sides.” said Bangladesh T20I captain, Litton Das.

He admitted that Bangladesh is not traditionally a strong fielding side, but they gave their best in the recent series by taking exceptional catches. This showcases the improvement they are making in the fielding department, which will continue to become better with time.   

“There are many positive sides. We are not a good fielding unit, but we took some brilliant catches in this series. At least in the fielding department, we have shown improvement. After playing the most number of T20Is in a year, I think our players have become more mature.” said Litton Das.

He then credited the team and coaching staff for showcasing great effort during the series. The captain said that the players were ready since the Asia Cup, which is why the management didn’t make big changes in the squad.

"The credit goes to all the players and coaching staff. Our team was ready since the Asia Cup. We have only used a certain number of players since then. I think we want these players to play their best cricket in the BPL, which we then expect them to replicate for the national team.” said Litton Das.

Keeping high fitness levels is also a big challenge for the Bangladesh team. The captain highlighted this fact, and showcased optimism that hopefully there would be no injuries in the Bangladesh camp in the next two months.

“I am not concerned about anyone's performance, but about injuries. We will all pray that we remain safe in the next two months." said Litton Das.

Trying Out Different Combinations for T20I World Cup, Says Litton Das

He then described the experiments the team has done during the last few matches. They have tried different combinations in both batting and bowling to see the response of players. This has been done keeping in view the challenge of the upcoming T20I World Cup, which will be played in India and Sri Lanka next year.  

"We have conducted a lot of experiments. We made certain changes that were risky - like Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] didn't bowl the last over today. [Mohammad] Saifuddin bowled the last over. I wanted to see what a player would do after not playing two matches. I think we tried almost everything in every aspect of the team. This bunch of players are almost ready for the next World Cup." said Litton Das.

The lower middle order of Bangladesh is currently not settled, as they are yet to find an ideal batter for the no. 6 position. However, the captain is not much concerned with this fact and he is looking forward to the BPL to find some answers.

"I am not too concerned about it [the No. 6 position]. Not everyone will get runs in every series. You saw [Towhid] Hridoy doing well in this series. I want them to score runs in the BPL, and then bring that to the World Cup." said Litton Das.

Talking about the spin options, Litton said that selecting just two spinners often becomes difficult due to the tough competition in the team. He added that all the players understand the selection criteria, which is based solely on top performance.

"Mahedi [Hasan], Rishad [Hossain] and Nasum [Ahmed] are my match-winners, so I have to take a tough call when I have to pick [only] two spinners in the XI. Sometimes, my performer has to sit out. They have accepted my decisions. They are good team-mates. It will keep happening in the future, but of course we explain to them [why we didn't pick any of them]." concluded Litton Das.