Litton Das Credits Full-Strength Squad for Bangladesh's Historic T20I Series Wins

Bangladesh T20I captain Litton Das has attributed his side’s recent turnaround in form to the availability of first-choice players, following back-to-back T20I series wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan — their first-ever series victories against either side in the format.

Bangladesh clinched both series 2-1, beginning with an away win in Sri Lanka before sealing a home triumph over Pakistan. The wins came after a six-match losing streak earlier in the year when several key players were unavailable due to injuries and scheduling conflicts.

"We were facing a [players] crisis in the UAE and Pakistan [in May]," Litton said after the final T20I against Pakistan in Mirpur. "Taskin [Ahmed] wasn't available. Mustafizur [Rahman] had left for the IPL. We also had other players missing due to injury or visa issues. This time, we had a full squad, and that made the difference."

Bangladesh’s bowling unit was instrumental in their recent success. Taskin Ahmed took six wickets in the Pakistan series, including a vital final-over spell in the third T20I, while Mustafizur returned miserly figures of 4-0-6-2 in the first match. Spinners Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain were also key contributors during the Sri Lanka series.

Litton specifically praised the bowling group for defending low totals, including a successful defense of 133 in the second T20I against Pakistan. “The bowlers definitely had a huge role in this series win,” he said. “They bowled out Pakistan for 110 [in the first T20I] and defended a low score in the second. These are big challenges and they handled them brilliantly.”

In Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost the opening game but bounced back with two clinical wins, adjusting their bowling plans effectively. "We didn't execute our bowling plans well in the first game in Kandy," Litton admitted. "But the bowlers came back strongly and followed the plan in the next two matches."

A standout feature of Bangladesh’s T20I strategy this year has been their depth in pace bowling. The team has used eight different fast bowlers in 2025, and the group has taken 51 wickets — accounting for over 60% of all T20I dismissals for Bangladesh this year.

Litton noted the importance of managing this depth carefully, especially in light of recurring injuries. "Taskin is just returning after a long injury layoff, and Shoriful [Islam] has also had fitness concerns," he said. "We’re fortunate to have depth, but we have to manage workloads smartly so we don’t lose players to injury."

Going forward, Litton stressed that both performance and fitness will influence selection. “We want to give our bowlers enough opportunities, but we also want to protect their health. That’s why workload management and understanding their skillsets will be key in deciding who plays and when.”

With a full-strength squad and a well-managed pace attack, Bangladesh now look well-positioned to build on their recent successes in the lead-up to upcoming international tournaments.