Photo: Collected
The Bangladesh cricket team have ended up without a medal at the Asian Games this time. Litton Das and his men had to bow out from the semi-final itself after losing to Sri Lanka by 63 runs. Although they won two bronzes at the Hangzhou Asian Games, Bangladesh have to return empty-handed this time. After the match, captain Litton Das expressed disappointment over the team’s performance and also highlighted the lack of practice facilities.
While explaining the reason for the defeat against Sri Lanka, however, Litton did not want to offer any excuse. His plain admission: ‘We played bad cricket.’
Litton said, ‘It seemed to me that we bowled well up to the first eight overs. After that you saw the kind of shots one batsman came in and played on a difficult wicket. He batted unbelievably. And the bowlers did not find any clue as to how to make a comeback from there. He has to be given credit for playing an extraordinary innings.’
In reply to Sri Lanka’s big total, Bangladesh’s batting could not meet expectations either. According to Litton, the team could not play to their ability from the start of the run chase. He said, ‘When we went in to bat, we could not in any way cover up the runs they had set. Batting-wise, we were not up to the mark today.’
The captain did not hide his disappointment at not getting even a bronze at the Asian Games. Litton said the team had gone to Japan this time with the aim of playing the final. ‘I feel bad at not being able to win the bronze. We came here with the target of the final. When that did not happen, there was another option after that. We missed the opportunity,’ he said.
Litton also responded to the questions raised about cricketers roaming around and shopping at the Asian Games. Taking a stand for his teammates, he said, ‘Will a player sit confined inside the room all day? When a player’s food is not being covered here, he has to come out of the room. Because to eat, one has to go outside. If we had the option to practise, we would not have had to go outside.’
However, he also acknowledged that the lack of practice facilities was not for Bangladesh alone. After the defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Litton did not want to show this issue as the only reason for the team’s failure. His last word was clear too: ‘We played bad cricket.’
On the other hand, he also said he has no plan to step down from the captaincy. Admitting that his own performance at the Asian Games was not as expected, Litton said there are always ups and downs in cricket. In his words, ‘My performance was not up to the mark. I played badly in two matches. There are always ups and downs in cricket. One day it will be good and another day it will be bad. What is there in this to resign as captain for? I am not resigning.’
