Bangladesh will ask Litton Das to anchor the middle order during the three-match ODI series against Pakistan that starts on 11 March. Head coach Phil Simmons confirmed the shift, saying the wicketkeeper’s comfort against spin and the need to refresh a faltering engine room were the main factors.
“First of all, it is very difficult to keep [wicket for] 50 overs and then come and open the batting,” Simmons explained. “He is also one of our better players of spin bowling. The middle order has been one of our Achilles heels. So, him going down there with his experience and his skills, hopefully we can get what we need there.”
The numbers underline the problem. Since December 2023 Litton has failed to reach double figures in eight ODIs, while Bangladesh’s collective return from positions four to six has been patchy at best. With Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah no longer part of the 50-over set-up, room has opened for a rethink.
The selectors have cut Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan but kept Mahidul Islam Ankon, who occupied No 5 against West Indies last October. Ankon’s 69 runs in three outings were steady rather than sharp, and Simmons plainly wants more intent.
Litton is no stranger to the role. He last walked out at five during the 2019 World Cup and marked that appearance with an unbeaten 94 against West Indies in Taunton. For most of his ODI career, though, he has operated in the top four. Persuading him to drop down, Simmons insisted, was straightforward.
“He has been comfortable batting anywhere,” the coach said. “I think he’s a lot more relaxed with his game and he sees it as an opportunity to do what the team needs of him. We didn’t have to convince Litton for anything. All we asked was, ‘this is what the team needs’, and he was happy to do it. He is happy to do anything for the team, when he is captain, he’s happy to do it for us now.”
Bangladesh have not played international cricket since early December, having missed the T20 World Cup amid a political dispute at home. Simmons admitted the hiatus stung.
“I think we are at that stage now where we’re getting past that. It was very hurtful for the guys,” he said. “I’ve been talking to them. It was very, very hurtful. But I think we’re getting to the stage and I think BCL [Bangladesh Cricket League] helped with that little tournament. So we started to get back to the frame of playing 50-over cricket and thinking about these three matches here. So, I think we’re getting there.”
The coach’s reference point is the final ODI against West Indies last October, when Bangladesh posted 296 on a turning pitch. The top order set the tone, allowing the finishers licence to attack.
“We finished well against West Indies and we don’t want to go backwards from there,” Simmons said. “Mind you, the wickets look a lot better than they were for that series so the main thing is to look at progress, which is to bat the way we batted in that last game.”
Pakistan arrive with a strong spin attack of their own, and Litton’s new brief will be tested early. A tidy start could not only steady Bangladesh’s middle overs but also re-energise a player who, at 31, still shapes much of their white-ball ceiling. Conversely, if the experiment misfires, further tinkering seems inevitable. Either way, the coming week should reveal whether a simple change in batting order can solve a long-standing problem.
