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New Bangladesh T20 national team captain Liton Das, on Monday, said that he was quite optimistic about a long-term plan being laid as he was given the captaincy until the World Cup next year.

Liton, who previously led Bangladesh in 12 matches across the formats on a stopgap basis, saw his new role as a positive one.

‘Naturally, this [captaincy for a longer period] is a positive thing,’ Liton told reporters in his first press conference as the new captain at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Monday.

‘When you get a long-term opportunity, you can think about a lot of things. Now the question is, how well can I organise my team during this period? I’m also quite optimistic that there will be a long-term plan.’

The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batter also pointed out the difference between his earlier stints and the new one.

‘If I talk about the difference, earlier plans were made series by series. Now that there’s a longer-term opportunity, I’ll be thinking about the future in every aspect. I’ll personally know that I have a goal that extends further,’ said Liton.

‘Of course, there will still be series-based planning, but alongside that, I’ll also consider what more I can do moving forward,’ he added.

Liton, who was dropped from the Champions Trophy squad, has been going through a slump in his batting. However, he remained optimistic.

‘As a player, I can say this much—any player can only give their best effort. Sometimes you try hard but don’t get successful results. On the other hand, a cricketer may play one or two poor series, then make a comeback. I’ll try to do the same. I just want to give Bangladesh what my playing style brings. If I perform, it will help the team too,’ he said.

Earlier, the BCB said that Liton might not be the ideal to lead the team at the moment, but he was the best option they had.

‘Regarding captaincy, no one is a perfect role model,’ said Liton. ‘Even without the captaincy, I’ve played poorly. Now I’m coming in as captain. It can also go the other way. Maybe I’ll perform well after taking on the captaincy. Like I said, both positive and negative things will be there. There’s no one perfect role model in this regard.’

‘I’ve never done this for such a long stretch. I’ve done a particular series, and it didn’t feel that tough to me. But for someone doing it for a long time, maybe it does become difficult.

‘At the same time, there are two things — you carry responsibility in your mind, and you must handle both. You won’t always get praise. You have to carry both praise and criticism,’ he added.

Bangladesh are scheduled to tour the UAE for a two-match series starting on May 17 before going to Pakistan for a five-match series starting on May 25.

However, the future of the Pakistan tour was still uncertain due to the tension between Pakistan and India. Liton said that it was now up to the BCB whether the series would go on as per schedule.

But the new captain saw the training camp before the tours as a perfect opportunity.

He said, ‘When there’s continuous international cricket, there’s hardly any time to work on skill development. Playing match after match, the intensity of games doesn’t allow for focused skill work.’

‘So, this is an added opportunity where we’ve been working on skills over an extended period. And by skills, I don’t just mean power-hitting, though that’s part of it. In T20 cricket, everyone knows big shots are required. At the same time, those who can reduce dot balls also benefit their teams. We’re working on both these aspects,’ he added.