Bangladesh T20I captain Litton Das walked into the press conference room at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur about 10 minutes later than scheduled on Wednesday, having just finished Bangladesh’s second and final practice match.
With a place in the final and the gold medal in sight, Litton said the Tigers have a bigger dream to fulfil in Japan.
A group reporters had been waiting for the T20I captain to finish the game, with expectations surrounding Bangladesh’s men’s team taking centre stage after the women’s side failed to win a medal. Litton, however, said the players were embracing the opportunity rather than feeling weighed down by the pressure.
“Of course, everyone will have expectations. In fact, as a player, I will also go there with the expectation of doing something good,” Litton told reporters.
Rather than seeing the expectations as pressure, Litton said the rarity of the Asian Games has made the players eager to make the most of the opportunity. For him and several members of the squad, the tournament will be a first experience of competing at the Games.
“One thing I can say is that our players are very eager to play this tournament because it does not come around every year. You get franchise leagues or national team assignments regularly, but this tournament is very rare,” he said.
“Every player is excited, and we will all try to fulfil that bigger dream.”
Bangladesh’s men won the cricket gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, their only gold medal in the event. Litton has set his sights on returning to the final, while keeping the bigger prize in view.
The players selected for the Asian Games struggled to make much of an impact in the first practice match, but several of them found their rhythm in the second. Saif Hassan top-scored with a 77 off 52 balls, while Tanzid Hasan made 24 off 14 and Mosaddek Hossain struck 46 off 22.
The bowlers also made an impression, with Mustafizur Rahman taking three wickets for 15 runs in his three overs. Hasan Mahmud returned figures of 1-17 from three overs, while Rishad Hossain claimed one wicket after conceding 25 runs in four overs.
“We are very well prepared, and the target is definitely clear. Since we are going into a tournament, we want to reach the final and hopefully do something good there,” Litton said.
The Tigers will leave for Japan today in two groups before beginning their campaign directly in the quarter-finals on September 29. Their opponent will be determined after the group-stage matches.
The two practice matches have given Bangladesh valuable preparation after a long gap from T20I cricket. Their last T20I assignment was against Zimbabwe, and Litton believes the games have helped rebuild the team’s rhythm and combination.
“The preparation has been very good. We got the opportunity to play two practice games after a long time,” he said. “We last played a T20I series in Zimbabwe, so these practice games gave us the chance to bond as a team. From a preparation point of view, I think we did very well.”
Bangladesh will enter the tournament without Mohammad Saifuddin, whose right hamstring injury has highlighted their shortage of established pace-bowling all-rounders, with uncapped off-spinner Aliss Al Islam added to the Asian Games squad as his replacement.
Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Abdul Gaffar Saqlain have also been considered for the role but are currently dealing with injuries. Litton said the coaching staff are working with younger players who could eventually provide solutions, although they will need time to develop.
“Yes, there are some young players and the coaches are working with them. Definitely, they will need some time. But hopefully, within a year or a year and a half, we will get something good from them,” he said.
For now, Litton wants Bangladesh to keep the bigger dream in sight while focusing on the immediate challenge.
“In cricket, we always say match by match, so that is how we will go,” he said.
