Shining bright in white

Liton Das received much criticism for his poor showing during the ICC T20 World Cup but his performance in Test cricket is much better this year where he has been Bangladesh’s one of the most consistent performers, and finally, he registered his maiden Test ton after missing out on two close calls.

Liton has an average of 60.37 in Tests in 2021, and in nine innings, he has four half-centuries and one century.

Bangladesh batting coach Ashwell Prince thinks that it is not the technique but the shot selection and mindset which is giving Liton two very different kinds of output in two formats.

“The guy has time to bat in Tests. It is a completely different batting mentality in the T20s. If we talk about Tests, let’s talk about how he constructed his innings today. He was solid in defence. He was decisive in leaving balls outside the stump. He was committed and positive when playing an attacking shot,” he said in a virtual press conference after the day’s play.

“I think anybody watching Liton bat can see he is a class batsman. If you can’t see that, I don’t know what you are seeing. Today the guy showed he is a class batsman. He made 95 in his last Test. He was unlucky not to get a hundred. He went one step further and over the line today, in terms of his personal milestone. Hopefully, he and Mushfiqur will tomorrow extend the partnership,” he added.

The former South African batsman also said that other batsmen also showed some great efforts.

“Shanto hit some nice straight drives. Saif too. The guys looked good at the start but Pakistan bowled well to get early wickets. Liton and Mushfiq continued the plan of hitting straight down the ground. It is important in red-ball cricket. You want to play as straight as possible when the ball is at the stumps. We saw great composure and skills in this performance,” Prince told the media.

“I am proud of the character that they have shown with their backs to the wall. Sometimes, as a coach, you look at the technical attributes of the players. But I was pleased with the mental application. 50 for 4 is a tough time to come to the crease in a Test match. When you find yourself in a tough situation, you have to be mentally strong. You have to believe you can bat your team out of that position, and into a better position,” he added.

Prince also hopes that Liton will carry on his innings to make it a bigger one.

“I was really impressed by how calm and composed Liton was today. I think the most nervous everyone got was when Liton started getting cramps. We were hoping that his body can hang in there till the end of the day. He is going to recover tonight, and hopefully, he can continue tomorrow,” said the batting coach.

“The dressing room was extremely happy when he got the hundred.”, he added.

Not just their batting coach, but Liton and Mushfiq received praise from the opposition camp as well.

“We should appreciate the way Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim batted. They played really well,” Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali said.