Shorifuls injury adds tension, but Litton smiles after reaching his century

When Bangladesh were reeling under a batting collapse and on the verge of losing control of the match, Litton Das stood firm at one end and built resistance. However, the most challenging phase of his brilliant innings came just before reaching his century. From 99 runs, a long wait followed—marked by a Shoriful Islam LBW review, a cramp injury, and a drinks break. Amid all this, the wicketkeeper-batter eventually brought up his hundred under intense pressure.

On Saturday at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Litton was at the heart of Bangladesh’s innings in the first day of the second Test against Pakistan. After choosing to bat first, the hosts found themselves under severe pressure, losing six wickets for just 116 runs. From that situation, Litton, along with the tailenders, carried the team to a fighting total of 278 runs. His 126-run innings was a fine blend of patience, aggression, and responsibility.

Even after getting very close to his century, Litton had to pause at 99 runs. He attempted to take two runs after playing a cover drive off Sajid Khan, but could not complete the second. Soon after, Bangladesh reviewed an LBW decision against Shoriful Islam, which resulted in him being declared not out. Later, Shoriful suffered a cramp, which stopped play again. A drinks break followed as well. All these interruptions collectively increased the tension of waiting for Litton’s milestone.

At the end of the day’s play, Litton described the mental pressure of that phase, saying, ‘I was really tense, especially when Shoriful got hit on the leg. I kept telling him to stay forward because he is quite tall, and if he stays back on length deliveries, there is a higher chance of getting hit on the pads. But he supported me really well.’

Litton also built crucial partnerships with the lower order. Bangladesh added 60, 38, and 64 runs for the seventh, eighth, and ninth wickets respectively. In particular, he scored 51 of the 64 runs in a 73-ball partnership with Shoriful, striking at a brisk pace off just 43 balls himself. During this phase, he took responsibility for accelerating the scoring while protecting the tailenders.

As he neared his century, Pakistan placed extra fielders on the boundary to restrict his scoring. However, Litton adjusted his shot selection according to the situation. He carefully identified scoring areas and targeted specific lengths to maximize runs.

Explaining his approach, Litton said, ‘I understood that scoring against full-length deliveries was difficult for me. I actually wanted them to bowl back-of-a-length deliveries, where I could find scoring opportunities. And they did. If you look at it, most of my runs in pace bowling came off back-of-a-length deliveries.’