T20 WC: Litton Das shines versus Afghanistan, scripts this record
A valiant half-century from Litton Das went in vain as Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh in the final Super 8 game of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. The star opener paced his innings to perfection and made an unbeaten 49-ball 54 though the Tigers couldn't chase the revised target of 114 in 19 overs. Here we look at his stats.
An innings of character from Litton
Bangladesh were off to a poor start at Kingstown's Arnos Vale Ground as the likes of Tanzid Hasan (0), Najmul Hossain Shanto (0), and Shakib Al Hasan (0) were dismissed cheaply. Litton, however, held one end and kept his team in the hunt. Notably, he was aggressive early on before slowing down due to the continuous fall of wickets.
Different approaches from Litton
At the start of the innings, Bangladesh needed to chase down 116 in 13 overs to qualify for the semis. Owing to the same, Litton batted with great intent early on. He slowed down after his team failed to cross the line in the required time. He remained stranded at one end as Bangladesh were folded for 105 in 17.5 overs.
Second T20 WC fifty for Litton
This was Litton's second T20 WC fifty as he has completed 399 runs across 20 games at 21. He finished the ongoing event with 139 runs at 23.16. Overall, he now owns 1,943 runs across 89 T20Is at 23.13 (50s: 11). 227 of his runs have come against Afghanistan at 25.22 (50s: 2). In T20s, Litton now has 4,806 runs at 24.03 (50s: 28).
Second batter to get this feat
As per Cricbuzz, Litton became the second opener to carry his bat through a completed T20 WC innings. He joined West Indies legend Chris Gayle, who made 63* versus Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the 2009 edition. While no other full-member has carried his bat through a completed T20I innings, Ghana's Richmond Baaleri did so against Botswana in December 2023.
How did the game pan out?
Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 59 runs after they elected to bat. They scored just eight runs and lost Zadran in Overs 10-13. The Bangladesh bowlers choked Afghanistan, who were down to 93/5. Rashid Khan (19*) drove them to 115/5. Bangladesh succumbed to Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq initially. Although Litton held his fort, Rashid and Naveen helped Afghanistan bowl out Bangladesh.
