Litton: 'Not going to talk about a particular brand of cricket'

Litton Das' target with the Bangladesh T20I side is to focus on results rather than a particular brand of cricket. He set this agenda on Monday, in his first press conference after being appointed as the Bangladesh captain in the format. Litton was appointed captain last week when the BCB named the squad that will play against UAE and Pakistan in a total of seven T20Is over the next couple of weeks.

Litton replaced Najmul Hossain Shanto, who quit the position earlier this year. Shanto was named the all-format Bangladesh captain in early 2024, but a loss of form caused him to take this action.

Form hasn't been on Litton's side either, but he led Bangladesh to a 3-0 T20I series win against West Indies in December, when Shanto was out with an injury. Given Bangladesh's lack of choices, Litton was the BCB's only option.

Litton stressed that his role would require him to communicate clearly with his team-mates.

"I am not going to talk about a particular brand of cricket," he said. "We might need to chase 180-200 in some games. Then we will have to chase 140-145 in other games. The ultimate goal is to win the game. A batter might need to score 40 off 20 balls in one game, and 15 off 20 in the next game.

"I want every player to be involved in the game. A player must understand what the team needs from him. It is more important for the player to know how to win a game, rather than stick to a brand of cricket.

"For the Bangladesh team to go ahead, the players have to perform. They have to play their specific roles. I have to communicate well with the players, more than talking to the BCB. The more time I get, I will get to be more involved in team matters."

Litton hasn't played for Bangladesh in all of 2025. He was dropped from the ODI side ahead of the Champions Trophy, and missed the Test series against Zimbabwe after getting an NOC from the BCB to play in the Pakistan Super League. A thumb injury eventually kept him out of that tournament.

While Litton was enduring a run of low scores at the time of his Champions Trophy axing, he has since returned to form. He scored 368 runs in the Bangladesh Premier League at an average of 36.80 and a strike rate of 143.19, and has carried that form into the 50-overs Dhaka Premier League, with two half-centuries in his last five innings for Gulshan CC.

"I think I played international cricket last [in] December," he said. "I was not [among the] runs at that time but since then I have tried to get back to form. I tried to get runs in BPL and DPL. I can only try my best. I will try to come back to some form, particularly in the way I have played in my career. If I am doing well, it will definitely help the team."

Litton believes that being appointed on a long-term basis is ideal for a captain . "It is certainly positive to be appointed on a long-term basis," he said. "It allows you to think clearly about a lot of things. I have to organise the team my way. The players that I have, together we can do something good for the team."

Litton also praised the BCB for appointing Mahedi Hasan as his deputy. Mahedi was in great form against West Indies in December, and is one of the more underrated offspinners in world cricket.

"Mahedi has been one of Bangladesh's best powerplay bowlers," Litton said. "He is a dominating bowler. You will see very few spinners around the world dominate in that manner. I think he will do better, and give us input to the best of his ability."