‘Not an ideal wicket for T20s,’ Litton slams Mirpur surface

Litton Das launched a blunt assessment of the Mirpur Sher-e Bangla National Stadium pitch, calling it “not an ideal wicket for T20s” following Rangpur Riders’ elimination from the Bashundhara Cement Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Tuesday.

Rangpur captain questioned the suitability of the surface for a knockout game after his side defended 111, only to lose to Sylhet Titans on the final ball of the match.

“So I can say this much — this is not an ideal wicket for T20s,” Litton said when asked about the nature of the pitch and whether it would help preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

“Whether it’s good for the World Cup or not, I don’t know. I expected better wickets in the qualifier matches,” he added.

Pressed further, Litton said the wicket was overwhelmingly tilted in favour of bowlers.

“For cricket, I wouldn’t say this T20 format is completely non-ideal. But in qualifier matches — do-or-die games — if you prepare wickets entirely in favour of bowlers, then that’s not really cricket,” he said.

“I think both teams expected better wickets. Losing the match wouldn’t have been an issue, but if the cricket itself felt more like cricket, it would have been better,” he explained.

Litton also stressed that poor fielding compounded Rangpur’s problems throughout the tournament.

“As I said in a press conference two days ago, on paper we are a very good team. But cricket isn’t played on paper — it’s about execution on the 22 yards,” he said.

“On paper, our batting and bowling are good, but our fielding has been poor. In most matches, fielding hurt us badly. Even today, we gave away many extra runs,” he added.

The Rangpur skipper highlighted how crucial fielding becomes in low-scoring games.

“When you’re playing low-scoring matches, your fielding unit becomes extremely important,” he said.

Despite the disappointment, Litton felt the break ahead could still serve a purpose.

“But at the same time, if we do go to the World Cup, this break will be very helpful,” he concluded.