BAN vs PAK 2025: We must improve in death overs before World Cup, says Litton Das

Bangladesh T20I skipper Litton Das emphasised the need for improvement in death-over bowling as the team gears up for the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka next year. Bangladesh recently secured back-to-back T20I series wins, one away against Sri Lanka and another at home against Pakistan.

Despite the recent success, Litton urged the bowling unit to sharpen their performance in the final overs. While he praised Mustafizur Rahman for his consistency and skill, he stressed that other bowlers must step up to provide support at the other end.

"We are bowling very well with the new ball, but we need to do well in the death overs. The team believes the same. Obviously, we have to bat well because when you are continuously batting well with good wickets, the bowlers have more chances to win the match," Litton said after clinching the series against Pakistan on Friday as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"We all know how deadly Mustafizur can be in the death overs, but for the others this is the time to improve in this area ahead of the World Cup. If that happens, we will improve as a team,” he added.

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Litton acknowledged the importance of continuing with the rotation policy for pace bowlers to reduce the risk of losing key pacers, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Mustafizur, ahead of the global event.

"Taskin has returned to T20s after a long time. You probably all know that if he keeps playing continuously, the chances of injury are higher for him. The same goes for Shoriful - he had a groin injury during the Pakistan series (at their own backyard) and then again in Kandy, and even in Dambulla he faced similar problems,” Litton said.

"It's not just that - you have to understand how many games a player can handle in a row. Apart from the ones you see now in the Bangladesh team, there are two or three more top pace bowlers. If we lose any of them for any reason, then the dreams and hopes we have won't be fulfilled. Every player deserves an opportunity, but at the same time, their fitness must be carefully monitored," he added.

Litton expressed confidence in his middle-order despite their inconsistent performances but added that the team may explore other options to ensure reliable backups are in place.

"I believe that (Towhid) Hridoy, the way he bats, along with Jaker (Ali) and Shamim (Patowary), they are currently Bangladesh's best middle-order batters," he said. "At the same time, since our vision is related to the World Cup, if one of these three players gets injured, then we must have backups ready. So, this is always on our mind, and we will try to prepare someone accordingly," Litton concluded.

Bangladesh players are set to take a break after a hectic stretch of over 40 days of continuous cricket, as the home series against India has been rescheduled. Following the break, the team is expected to regroup for a preparatory camp ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup.