Liton shouldn’t have played in Sylhet Test: Papon
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon said that Liton Das is in need of a break and should not have been picked for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Sylhet.
Liton's shocking dismissal in the second innings of the first Test has put the wicketkeeper-batter in the eye of an ongoing media storm with many saying that he should've been given a break from the match similar to how he was given a break for the third ODI of the Sri Lanka series.
Papon, addressing the media today at Mirpur, echoed that sentiment while also explaining why the selectors chose not to give Liton a break in Tests.
"If you ask me, it would have been better had Liton not played in the Test. But then you would be saying why was he dropped given he has such and such record in Tests. It would be chaos," Papon told the media today.
"But I feel giving him a break right now would have seen him make a good return," he added.
Liton was one of the front-runners to be captain following the ODI World Cup and has led the side on occasion as the vice-captain in the absence of regular the skipper during the tenures of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.
BCB president was asked whether the decision to not give him the captaincy has caused an issue.
"I don't think that was the case. We have been watching his performance from the last World Cup and we felt there is something wrong. That is why he was dropped from ODIs.
"Think about what a batter like him means to the team. We depend on him and he has performed well and is a beautiful player. But something has been a problem and we have even dropped him from ODIs. There can't be a bigger signal than that. So there is a problem but I am confident that it is not related to captaincy," Papon said on the issue.
Bangladesh were without Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan in the first, both out injured, and Papon felt had Liton also not been picked for the match, the balance of the eleven would have been further hampered.
"He needs a break and that's why we took a decision and he was sent on a break [for one ODI]… The bigger factor was that since Mushfiqur and Shakib weren't there… Considering everything, he was included," the BCB president said.
The BCB president also blasted the batting display of the Tigers in both innings of the first Test.
"There is no reason to feel good about it. Winning or losing is not that important but the problem is how they played. Their mindset, attitude or shot selection was abominable. It felt like either they didn't want to play this format or there was some other problem.
"This kind of shot selection or mindset does not go with Test cricket. They are not children who have suddenly been taken into the ground and they have to be told everything. All of them know it. That hurt us and that is why I came here and am sitting with everyone here together," he concluded.