Ducks keep piling on for Liton
Pacer Dilshan Madushanka seemingly missed his line in the third ball of the second ODI in Chattogram yesterday, pitching the ball on the leg-stump line against Bangladesh's Liton Das, who dealt with it by plopping his front foot forward and flicking the ball to the leg side.
The only problem for Liton, the ball flew straight into the hands of Dunith Wellalage at forward square leg, meaning Liton had to depart for a duck for the second consecutive time in the series.
Liton could blame his luck for yesterday's wicket as he got out to a seemingly loose delivery, but a look at the field setting during the ball reveals a different story.
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis had stationed three fielders inside the 30-yard circle on the on-side when Liton was on strike, in perfect positions for a casual flick to the leg side.
Dilshan then delivered the ball at the perfect line for the flick shot and Liton stepped right into the trap.
One look at the field setup should have been enough for Liton to realise what Sri Lanka were trying to do. But the wicketkeeper-batter, who has been playing international cricket for almost a decade, lacked that game awareness and paid the price.
Yesterday's duck was Liton's 14th in ODIs and seventh since January 2023. In fact, no other batter among Test-playing nations has been dismissed for naught in ODIs more than Liton since last year.
Even when the 29-year-old has managed to open his account in ODIs, he has not scored too many runs.
In the 30 ODI innings since 2023, Liton averaged just 24.11, with no centuries and five half-centuries.
Although he batted at number four in the ODI series against New Zealand last year, the right-hander has been otherwise a staple at the top of the order for years now.
His form in ODIs was great in 2022 as he averaged 52.45. But since 2023, it has gone off a cliff.
Liton's dip in form in ODIs has come at a time when star opener Tamim Iqbal is on a hiatus from the format, making him the most experienced opener Bangladesh have at their disposal at the moment and perhaps the extra responsibility has hampered his ODI form.
While Liton has been struggling, his opening partner this series, Soumya Sarkar, who returned to the ODI side in last year's New Zealand series, has already made a statement in the five innings since his comeback. He hit a brilliant 169 against the Kiwis in Dunedin in December and a commanding 68 off 66 against Sri Lanka yesterday.
Liton's poor form in 50-overs cricket also begs the question whether it is time for the management to consider other players.
Nevertheless, Liton has been in good form in the other two formats, averaging 47 and 33.27 in Tests and T20Is respectively since 2023 but has been struggling for runs in ODIs. A break from the format could end up benefitting the experienced right-hander as it would give him time to go back to the drawing board and figure out where he has been going wrong. It could also give someone like Tanzid Hasan Tamim a chance to return to the ODI side after showing glimpses of his talents in last year's World Cup.