Senior assistant coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team, Mohammad Salahuddin, hailed captain Liton Das for his maturity and ability to finish the game on Sunday.
Bangladesh began the three-match series with a commanding eight-wicket victory against the Netherlands, and Liton was the main architect, complemented by Taskin Ahmed鈥檚 four-for and Saif Hassan鈥檚 all-round effort in Sylhet on Saturday.
The second match is scheduled to be held at the same venue at 6:00pm today, and T Sports will telecast it live.聽
Despite a lean run in the Pakistan series, Liton made a timely return with the bat as he struck an unbeaten 54 off 29 balls with six fours and two sixes, which Salahuddin sees as a major boost for the Tigers.聽
Salahuddin believes Liton is gradually transforming into a dependable top-order batter the team has long needed. He praised Liton for finishing games and carrying responsibility until the end.
鈥業 am very happy; Liton finished the match not out. Many times, players carry the innings but can鈥檛 finish. But he鈥檚 finishing the game, taking responsibility and playing a big innings. The placement of Liton鈥檚 shots was actually very impressive,鈥� Salahuddin told the media during a press conference on Sunday.
鈥楬e also demonstrated how to bat according to the conditions [dew condition]. If Liton can keep scoring consistently, it will be a huge gain for the team鈥檚 batting future. I hope he becomes more consistent.鈥�
In the match, Liton was in full rhythm and shared two crucial partnerships with Tanzid Tamim and Saif. The coach urged the skipper to lead from the front and be more consistent.
鈥楲ook, in the Sri Lanka series, Liton was consistent. In Dhaka, in the last three matches, he couldn鈥檛 score that well. But now, in terms of rhythm, he is more confident than before,鈥� he said.
鈥楲iton has been playing cricket for a long time and knows how to play. And especially since he is a senior player now, the responsibilities have increased a lot.鈥�
Salahuddin urged not to become complacent about Saif鈥檚 impressive comeback, who scored a 19-ball 36 and took two wickets, but praised his character for his transition from a Test batter to a T20 all-rounder.
鈥業 repeat that you should not take someone up too quickly, nor should you bring them down hastily. He [Saif] made a comeback, which actually reflects a strong mentality and character. When you leave someone out, not everyone can actually come back from that. Since there was a tag behind him that he was a Test player, he might not be able to play with a white ball. He has shown something not everyone can,鈥� said Salahuddin.
Salahuddin also reminded that there is no scope for an experiment within the squad against the Dutch.
鈥楢t the end of the day, this is not a place to experiment. This is international cricket. If it were a practice match, then maybe I could have thought about it. But this is international cricket. We will try to make the decisions necessary to win,鈥� he added.
