Pakistan Clinch Series, Liton’s Milestone Match Ends in Disappointment

Pakistan secured the T20I series against Bangladesh with a game in hand, delivering a dominant performance in the second match and crushing the visitors by 57 runs. Despite the significance of his 100th international T20 appearance, Bangladesh captain Litton Das failed to make an impact with the bat, managing just 6 runs off 9 balls before being dismissed in frustrating fashion.

Litton’s dismissal stemmed from a miscommunication with non-striker Towhid Hridoy, who ignored a call for a quick single off Hasan Ali’s previous delivery. On the very next ball, Liton mistimed a slower one and offered a straightforward catch to Haris Rauf at mid-on. Visibly disappointed, the skipper threw his bat to the ground before walking back to the pavilion.

Speaking after the match, Litton expressed his frustration but clarified:
“No, I wasn't out because I was angry. In cricket, you must execute the basics—and running between the wickets is a basic element. We’re not following the fundamentals at the moment. If you look at those two dismissals, we missed two simple singles. I’m not blaming anyone, but we need to pay attention to these areas.”

Bangladesh’s innings started brightly, scoring 32 runs in the first two overs and reaching 54/3 by the end of the powerplay. However, a dramatic collapse followed: from 44/0, the team lost five wickets within just 12 runs to slump to 56/5. Eventually, they were bowled out for 144 after being reduced to 77/7. Only Tanzim Hasan Sakib’s late-innings onslaught helped narrow the margin of defeat.

Opener Tanzid Tamim had shown early promise, scoring 33 off just 19 balls, including five boundaries and a six. But once he fell, Bangladesh’s batting unraveled.
“When someone starts well, they must carry the innings forward. A good batsman should bat at least until the 13th or 14th over,” Litton said.
“After the fourth over, we just didn’t bat well. Wickets kept falling in clusters.”

The third and final T20I will be held on Sunday at the same venue. Desperate to avoid a series whitewash and end their tour on a high, Bangladesh are aiming to regroup and bounce back before heading home.