Litton Das, the Bangladesh short-format captain and wicketkeeper-batter, has emphatically put a spell of inconsistent form behind him by posting consecutive half-centuries in the Abu Dhabi Test against Afghanistan. Overcoming early chances, the stylish right-hander grounded out two vital innings, in the process securing his place in an exclusive bracket of Bangladesh cricket history.
Resuming his second-innings effort on five runs on the fourth morning, Litton navigated the early overs before collecting the single required off Zia-ur-Rehman in the 76th over to surpass 9,000 international runs. He becomes only the fifth Bangladeshi batsman to cross this threshold, joining an elite group featuring Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mahmudullah.
His passage to the mark was aided by good fortune. Litton was handed two early reprieves on 14 and 26 runs, both off the leg-spin of Qais Ahmad. First, Kamal grassed an opportunity at slip; shortly after, Qais failed to hold on to a sharp return catch off his own bowling, visibly wincing in pain after the collision. Capitalising fully on these missteps, Litton accelerated smoothly to reach his second fifty of the match in just 61 deliveries, punishing any width offered by the Afghan attack.
Across his career, Litton has built a substantial record across all three formats. In Test cricket, he has accumulated 3,409 runs, headlined by six centuries and 22 half-centuries. His One Day International balance stands at 2,869 runs, comprising five centuries and 14 fifties. In Twenty20 Internationals—where he holds the national record with 124 appearances—he has scored 2,704 runs alongside 16 half-centuries. While combining these individual career figures arithmetic-wise yields 8,982 runs, his single in the 76th over formally pushed his overall international aggregate past the 9,000-run mark.
For Bangladesh, seeing their middle-order pillar regain both composure and sharp scoring rates provides a timely boost. Litton’s resilience in Abu Dhabi underscores his technical quality and reinforces his importance to the national team’s long-term batting setup across all formats.
