Liton yet to show his best

Liton Das has been on a purple patch in red-ball cricket since the start of last year and became the quickest Bangladeshi batsman to score five One-Day International hundreds on Friday, but his long-term mentor Nazmul Abedeen Fahim believes that his best is yet to arrive.

Liton has been under constant scrutiny for inconsistency since the start of his career, but since January 2021, he has six fifties and two hundreds in Tests, along with two tons in ODIs.

But Fahim, currently the cricket advisor at BKSP and a former coach of Liton, believes that the right-handed batsman can do better.

“He can play even better on far more difficult pitches against better bowlers. His technique is so sound that he has to give a lot less effort and has a lot of time in his hands. That is a blessing for him. His best is yet to come, and it’s up to him to realise that,” he told The Business Post.

Jamie Siddons, currently acting as the batting coach of the national team, said that Liton has been doing great but he can help the batsman get even better.

“Liton has done well in Tests. I see little things I can help him with. It is going to take time to put that last bit of class on him where he can succeed against every bowler, whether really fast bowlers or great spinners, in the world. It is my challenge, to make him a little bit better,” Siddons told the media on Saturday. Liton’s recent flow of runs, Fahim believes, is more because of his change in mental organisation, rather than technical.

“There has been a definite change in his mental aspect. He is more organised now. He is trying to follow a routine. Still, he looks a little vulnerable at the start. But once he middles a few balls, he takes control,” Fahim said.

He added, “There has been a big change in his application. Now, he wants to play controlled big innings. He tended to be over-aggressive after getting a start from time to time but now looks like that has changed. He understands the value of his wicket. He has also realised that he can score at a good rate without getting out of his general technique.”

Liton himself spoke about changing the mental aspect of his batting after scoring a brilliant 136 against Afghanistan on Friday, which earned him the player of the match award.

“How you are planning and reading the game is important. I could have hit him by going down the wicket, but what would my success rate be? I might get a four or a six, but it is a high-risk shot. A wicket puts the team under pressure. I thought about it and realised that there’s value to my wicket, and I hope to continue to value it in the same way,” Liton said in the post-match press conference.