Liton’s class showcased again

An on-song Liton Das is always a treat to the eyes as the elegant right-hander mesmerises everyone with his batting skills. Following a lack of consistency early in his career, Liton has surely come of age as a batsman, having taken the next step in becoming a world-class act in recent times.

It speaks volumes to see the Afghanistan pacer Fareed Ahmad giving Liton a pat on the back after dismissing the right-hander, who had already smashed his fifth ODI ton.

The 27-year-old continued his purple patch, following his magnificent hundred in the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, and showed his class in the white-ball format.

The blunt numbers would show Liton scored 126 off 136 balls, featuring 16 fours and two sixes. But in terms of the manner of execution, it was unlike his typical style of play, where he tends to dominate the opposition from the get-go.

"I could have smashed a six or a four coming down the track but since it's a high-risk stroke, there is always a chance to lose my wicket," player-of-the-match Liton said during the post-match presentation yesterday. 

The conversion rate of Liton also speaks for himself. With three fifties and four hundred prior to the second one-dayer, once the stylish batter reached his fourth ODI fifty, he was always eyeing another hundred.

"Obviously, there was a challenge in the pitch and they also bowled well. But the thing is, [it's about] how you plan the innings and how you think about your game," Liton said. 

After missing out in the first ODI, dismissed for one by Fazalhaq Farooqi, Liton seems to have done his homework. He came up with a clear mindset yesterday, when the Afghan seamers, once again, were able to extract movement off the surface to test the Tigers.

Also, the manner in which he built his innings early on, demonstrating a lot of caution and patience, was in contrast to the past, where Liton often had the tendency to throw away his wicket.

"If I lose my wicket, then my team is under pressure. And I think it's important for every batsman to change certain things on their own. I'm putting a high price-tag on my wicket and I hope I can continue this in the future too," Liton added. The right-hander kept his composure and scored 46 off 35 balls after the 20th over ended. And since then, his partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim started to blossom as Liton opened up with a couple of boundaries to leg spinner Rahmat Shah.

He reached his fifty off 65 balls, striking Mohammad Nabi a boundary in the 25th over. Liton was still aware of the importance of his presence at the crease for the hosts to pile up a big total.

However, Liton, batting on 87, had a stroke of luck in his favour as he was dropped at cover off Mujeeb Ur Rahman's bowling. But Liton-Musfiqur's record 202-run third-wicket stand went on to lay the platform for the Tigers to post a winning total of 306 for four in fifty overs.

Moreover, the way Liton combined skill and grace to tackle someone like Rashid Khan with his late square-cut or the drives through covers, had stood out.

Liton achieved his century landmark in style, with an inside-out shot for a boundary over cover to Rashid.

Also, it had taken him 42 balls since scoring his fifty to reach his hundred off 107 balls, demonstrating the fine art of pacing the innings.