“Have you been contacted by anyone?”
Litton Das answered in just one word: “No.”
“Should there have been discussions?”
This time, he said only this: “I don’t know, no one has spoken to me.”
Regarding the T20 World Cup, Litton also posed a counter-question twice: “Are you sure we will play the World Cup?”
After Rangpur Riders were eliminated by Sylhet Titans in the BPL eliminator, most of the questions Litton Das faced at the post-match press conference at Mirpur were about the World Cup. The national team’s T20 captain shared his thoughts on some issues but declined to comment on others.
For the past two weeks, Bangladesh cricket has been centered on discussions about participating in the T20 World Cup in India. Bangladesh has announced a squad for the tournament with Litton as captain. However, it is still unclear whether Bangladesh will ultimately play in the World Cup, and if they do, whether the matches will be held in Sri Lanka or India.
Litton has been leading the T20 side for a year now. During this period, marked by ups and downs, he has continued to back certain players. Under his captaincy, Bangladesh have won five consecutive series. Throughout this time, Litton’s planning revolved around the World Cup.
But now, with just two weeks to go before the World Cup, uncertainty remains over where they will play, which group they will be in, or even whether Bangladesh will participate at all. After building the team for a year, the only consolation for Litton amid this uncertainty is that the players are competing in T20-format matches in the BPL.
However, the mental strain caused by the uncertainty was evident in Litton’s words, “If you knew who would be in your group, which country you were going to, it would help. Right now, the things that matter are not in my hands or ours. You already know which 15 players are in the squad. Even those 15 players still don’t know which country we will go to or who we will play against. From where I stand, I’m uncertain—everyone is uncertain. I think at this moment, the whole of Bangladesh is uncertain.”
After Mustafizur Rahman was withdrawn from the IPL, the Bangladesh Cricket Board decided not to travel to India for the World Cup and wants the matches to be played in Sri Lanka. Asked whether he agreed with the board’s decision, Litton said he did not want to comment.
Asked whether the overall situation was ideal, he replied, “Look, brother, many things in life aren’t ideal. But when time moves on, you have to accept it.”
At present, the national team players’ on-field preparation for the World Cup is taking place in the BPL. In today’s eliminator, Rangpur batted first and played the full 20 overs to score 111 runs. Sylhet chased down the target on the final ball.
Litton does not consider such a pitch ideal for T20 cricket, “I can say this much—it is not an ideal wicket for T20s. Whether it is ideal for the World Cup, I do not know. I expected a better wicket in a playoff match.”