I hope my bat will smile: Liton 

Bangladesh batter Liton Das backed his style of batsmanship and said he hoped he would come out of his batting rut after he made the headlines for being dismissed in an appalling fashion in the third T20I of the five-match series against Zimbabwe at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram yesterday. 

Liton prolonged his abysmal run in white-ball cricket as he managed to score a 15-ball 12 before shooting himself in the foot by dragging one onto the stumps on his third straight scoop attempt against Blessing Muzarabani in only the fourth over of the innings. 

"I am trying to play the way I like to play T20 games. Hopefully, my bat will smile," Liton told T Sports after the match yesterday.

Read more

Liton in full-swing self-destructive mode

The right-handed batter, often nonchalant in explaining his batting woes, did try to shrug off the pressure building around him, saying that he was not worried about his dismal run and that it is merely ''a part of the game''.

"I thought that it was the best idea [to attempt three successive scoop shots] at that time. This is why I tried it. It could've gone past the stumps for a boundary. It's a part of cricket and batters will have to face it. There will be times when you will get out playing a good shot and you might score playing bad ones," he said. 

The 29-year-old, who made his international debut in 2015, is perhaps right to feel no pressure as his spot in the World Cup squad seems to be guaranteed as per the thoughts of the team management who feel that the opener is one game away from regaining some sort of form going into the major event. 

"I am trying but it's not happening. It's not that I am not practising, I am working hard but it's cricket and it can happen. I am not worried about it. Of course, I should be doing well and have two matches to go. Let's see," Liton told T Sports. 

"People always expect results. When you deliver results and then not practise for five days then it's fine but if you fail then it's bad. I'm not really worried about that. The important thing is what I can give to myself in practice and in games."

Liton has managed to score 36 runs in the three matches he has played for far in the series and failed to provide a decent start for his side. He placed his blame on the wicket, asserting that the type of surface will determine the kind of start a team can get.  

"When the wicket will be very good, you will see 60 runs [in the Powerplay]. We are not the only ones struggling; The Zimbabwe team is also struggling. If you look at the last three games, you will see that playing against the new ball was challenging not only for me but for everyone. When everyone is facing problems with something it means that it's something difficult," he said.

"Have Bangladesh never played well against good opponents? Have they not had good starts against them? It is the type of surface you are playing on, how it behaves, and the quality of the opponent bowlers. Run-scoring depends on these factors. If you are facing a very good side then you can score runs if the surface permits," he added.