Litton aims for fresh start against New Zealand after missing the World Cup

Sports Desk
Bangladesh T20 captain Liton Das has set a modest tone ahead of the Tigers’ return to T20 Internationals. He urged his team to play without any burdens as they start a new cycle by shaking off the disappointment of missing out on the last ICC T20 World Cup.

Speaking to reporters yesterday ahead of Monday’s opening match, Liton made it clear that while the long-term goal is the 2028 World Cup, the main focus for now is to regain rhythm and confidence, starting with the upcoming series against New Zealand in Chittagong.

Bangladesh have been coming into this series with mixed form in recent times. They have won impressive series against Afghanistan (3–0 in the UAE) and Ireland (2–1 at home) but were whitewashed 3–0 by the West Indies.

While acknowledging long-standing concerns about the batting unit, Liton did not single out any specific players or place pressure on immediate expectations.

He said, “One thing is that we are playing the T20 format again after a long time. We don’t want to put any extra pressure on anyone at the beginning.”

“Let them play. After a match or two, everyone will automatically understand their role because adapting to the setup is a big thing.”

The captain is looking at the busy schedule ahead as an opportunity rather than a challenge. With series against Australia and India later this year, Bangladesh will get the chance to play nine T20Is against top-tier opponents in a very short space of time.

Liton mentioned, ‘The good news is that the nine T20Is we have this year are all against good teams and the series are back-to-back. Once we get back into the rhythm, the next series will be relatively easy for us.’

Regarding the long-term goal, Liton emphasized that preparations for the 2028 T20 World Cup have already begun. Even though Bangladesh could not participate in the tournament in India in 2026, the preparations made at that time are being taken as a basis.

“Our main target is the 2028 World Cup and we know it will not be held in Asia. So we will plan accordingly. Since there was a good understanding between our team and our preparation for the last World Cup was very good, I will try to keep this team well and move forward from here,” he said.

When asked whether the team has overcome the disappointment of not getting a place in the global tournament, the captain’s statement showed a change in mentality.

“Yes, I definitely think we have overcome that. Right after that time we played a tournament where the players tried to play good cricket. The biggest thing is that in international cricket every match is very important for every player. I believe they will think that way and go into the field with the winning mentality required to play for Bangladesh,” he said.