Published on 11:28 PM, February 26, 2024

Liton heaps praises on Towhid after ‘one of the best’ run-chase

Liton Das and Towhid Hridoy during their 143 run stand off 89 balls against Rangpur Riders in a Bangladesh Premier League fixture on February 26, 2024. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

Fifties from Liton Das and Towhid Hridoy guided Comilla Victorians to the final of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as the defending champions chased a challenging 186-run target to beat Rangpur Riders by six wickets in the first qualifier at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National stadium on Monday.

Despite losing opener Shamim Hossain upfront, Comilla rode on a magnificent 89-ball 143-run second-wicket stand between Liton and Towhid. Liton was eventually dismissed on 83 off 57 deliveries, striking nine fours and four sixes, while Hridoy's 43-ball 64 featured five fours and four sixes.

Liton categorised his partnership with Towhid as the best in his career, and the Comilla skipper heaped praises on Towhid for releasing the pressure from him.

"Definitely outstanding and the best in my life. It never happened where I batted like this with a partner. The way he [Towhid] batted was amazing, and it felt great to see from the non-striker's end. More importantly, a partner's job is to help [the other] relax and he was able to do that, which allowed me to play my game freely," Liton told reporters.

Liton was in all praise of Hridoy's dedication and informed that the youngster is reaping the rewards from spending a lot of time in the gym. 

"He is a skinny lad but he does hit those big sixes. He is a hard working guy, and whenever he gets time, even on the off days, you can find him in the gym which reflects his dedication towards the game," said Liton.

For Liton, it was satisfying for him that the two local batters did the job for Comilla, who possess the likes of Sunil Narine, Moeen Ali and Andre Russell in the ranks.

"Normally we are not used to chasing such a big target, and so, from that point you can say, it was one of the best. And since we both are Bangladeshi and also play for the national team, I hope we will be able to continue in the coming days as well," he said.