2024-09-03 01:20:33
6 wickets for 26 runs. The morning of the third day of the second Test was like a ghost for Bangladesh. Liton Das took charge of the fight with the bat. Partner Mehdi Hasan Miraj. It was a beautiful day in Test cricket to see Bangladesh from the rubble in the duo’s impeccable record pairing.
But Centurion Liton did not think that he would have to bat so early. Indeed it is, it is clear to see the number of runs and wickets on the scoreboard. In response at the end of the day on Sunday (September 1), Litton also said that he was suffering from nervous tension.
‘At that moment I was suffering from a bit of nervous pressure. Never thought I would have to bat before the water break. I just told Miraj that they are in a good rhythm now. We need to take some time. Then let’s see what happens.’
After the fall of 6 wickets for 26 runs, the Liton-Mirage battle began. The pair of 165 runs was broken by Mirage’s out for 78 runs. Seventh wicket which is a world record. Mirage was out but Liton did not stop. He added another 71 runs with three tail-enders. However, Hasan Mahmud’s contribution is more. He gave great support to Lytton by scoring 13 runs from 51 balls. In the end Lytton was out for 138 runs. After his out, Bangladesh were also all out in Nahid’s runner out.
Liton made a pair of 69 runs with Hasan after the dismissal of Taskin Ahmed. Praising Hasan, the wicket-keeper batsman said, ‘After Hasan came (into batting), I completely went into a defensive mindset. When I was on strike, all the fielders were fielding outside (the 30 yard circle). Then I had no chance to get boundaries or anything. Hasan has to be credited. He gave me a chance to play for a long time. He had only one plan with me that we would go for 1 run, 2 runs. The longer we bat, the smaller their lead will be.’
In response to Pakistan’s 274 runs, Bangladesh were bowled out for 262 runs. But at one stage it seemed that the follow-on was a matter of time. But Lytton did not think of these things.
‘I never thought long. When I started (my innings) with Shakib bhai, he got out shortly after. After that the only discussion with Mirage was how long the game could be drawn.’
‘They were playing very well at the time. Playing a new ball is always challenging. A lot of credit must go to Mirage. Because, I could not bat properly due to the hand. At that time Mirage destroyed their momentum. A few boundaries from him in the beginning got us back into the rhythm.’
Bangladesh now wants to restrict Pakistan to less runs in the second innings. Lytton insists on bowling in the right places. Batting in the late afternoon, Pakistan lost 2 wickets for only 9 runs!
Litton says batting on this pitch is not easy, ‘No, it’s a completely different pitch. In the previous test, he would have died at the sight of the ball. You have to bat with rhythm on this pitch. This pitch is a bit slow. So before playing the shot, you have to think, which one to hit and which one to leave.’