Litton Das dropped from Bangladesh team: Decoding his lean patch
Team Bangladesh has dropped Litton Das for the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka on March 18 in Chattogram. The opener, who bagged back-to-back ducks in the first two games, has been under the scanner for quite some time. He has been replaced by uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali in the squad. Here we decode Litton's recent lean patch.
Ducks in the first two games
Litton backed a golden duck in the series opener as he chopped on an in-swinging delivery from left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka into the stumps. Madushanka dismissed the Bangladesh opener in the second game as well. Litton lasted three balls on this occasion. It was a full in-swinging ball as Litton flicked it to Dunith Wellalage at square leg.
Here is what the chief selector said
"With the series now hanging in the balance, we believe Jaker Ali's addition will provide the team with more options and flexibility in the middle order," Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chairman of the Bangladesh selection panel, said in a BCB release. "Considering Litton's recent performance in white-ball cricket, we opted for this change," he added.
Litton's recent lean run
Litton also failed to impress in the recent T20I series against SL as the opener could only manage scores worth 0, 36 and 7. As per ESPNcricinfo, Litton has managed just 313 runs in 14 ODIs at a paltry average of 24.07 since the start of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. He has recorded just two fifties in this period.
Litton was Bangladesh's vice-captain until last year
It must be noted that Litton was Bangladesh's vice-captain across all formats until September last year. He even led the Tigers in a one-off Test versus Afghanistan in June 2023. However, he was stripped of from the role after a video of him throwing his bat in the dressing room after getting dismissed in the second ODI against New Zealand went viral.
Litton's loss was Shanto's gain
Litton's removal meant Najmul Hossain Shanto was Shakib Al Hasan's deputy in the 2023 WC. Last month, BCB even named Shanto as their skipper across formats as Shakib has been unavailable lately due to his vision issues. Meanwhile, this is the first time Litton has been dropped from the national team since 2021 when he was dropped for a T20I series against Pakistan.
Golden run before lean patch
Notably, Litton was among massive runs across formats before his lean patch started. From January 2022 to August 2023, the star batter hammered 2,645 across formats in 64 games at 38.33. The tally includes three tons and 19 fifties. Only Pakistan's Babar Azam (3,544 at 52.11) amassed more international runs in that period.
Here are Litton's stats across formats
Litton has so far scored 2,394 runs in 39 Tests at a decent average of 36.27, a tally that includes three tons and 16 half-centuries. In ODIs, his tally reads 2,563 runs from 91 games at 31.25. He has five tons and 12 fifties in the format. He has hammered 1,754 runs from 77 T20Is at 23.70. Litton has 10 half-centuries in the format.
