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Litton Das credits wicketkeeping for batting success
Litton Das opined that keeping wickets has a positive effect on his batting, giving him a better understanding of the pitch and conditions. Litton's 102 off 117 balls, including 14 fours, in his seventh Test century puts Bangladesh in a strong position heading into the final day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
Litton reached his century on 115 balls after being dropped on 14 and 26 and surviving a run-out opportunity on 46. Together with Mehidy Hasan (52 not out), he added 149 runs for the seventh wicket before Bangladesh declared at 372 for 7 and gave Afghanistan a target of 479.
After losing three consecutive matches, Litton entered the Test with a fifty in the first innings. He credited his wicketkeeping for helping him with the bat, explaining that the time spent behind the stumps was very useful for him.
“It [wicketkeeping] definitely helps because behind the wickets, I can understand a lot of things, and get an idea about the pitch. That helps me a lot in my batting,” he said.
Even though the pitch has not provided much assistance to spin so far, Litton believes that Bangladesh's spinners could find success on the final day if they exploit the rough patches, with victory in sight.
"The wicket is not very conducive to spin. However, by day five, the rough patches begin to affect the balls significantly. He continued, "I hope our spinners are already bowling in good areas. By bowling in even better areas, they will create pressure, and if they get a little help from the wicket, the job will be easier for them."
At the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan put on a strong batting performance in their chase of 479 runs, while Bangladesh will be looking to win on the final day. The hosts reached 132 for 3 at stumps on the fourth day, needing another 347 runs to win. Sediqullah Atal was unbeaten on 35 off 126 balls, while Hashmatullah Shahidi was 19 not out off 27 deliveries.
Atal expressed satisfaction with his performance and expressed optimism that Afghanistan would be able to bat through the final day to earn a draw. Atal stated, "I'm quite happy with the way I'm going, but I hope I continue this for tomorrow as well." This is due to the fact that "we're just looking at how we can draw this match and how we can just bat longer and longer until the last session."