Bangladesh felt Litton blow in Asia Cup, admits Jaker

Bangla Press Desk:   Stand-in captain Jaker Ali Anik admitted on Wednesday that Bangladesh’s Asia Cup campaign collapsed without regular skipper Litton Das, but insisted the blame lay with the players — not batting coach Julian Wood.

Bangladesh crashed out of the tournament in the group stage after a series of underwhelming batting performances, where collapses at crucial stages undid their chances. Jaker, handed the captaincy following Litton’s injury, said the loss of the opener’s runs and leadership proved decisive.

“Litton’s news is a bit harsh for us. He is the skipper and he is doing really well with the bat. So that cost us in the Asia Cup tournament. But we move forward and keep looking forward to do well,” Jaker told reporters in Sharjah.

Jaker admitted Bangladesh had entered the tournament with belief but simply failed to execute their plans.

“Obviously, it is a bit disappointing. We hoped to come here to play good cricket in the Asia Cup. But we did not do that. We had a mindset, we prepared well, but unfortunately, we could not deliver,” he said.

He was quick, however, to defend Wood, the English power-hitting specialist brought in to modernise Bangladesh’s batting. Critics have suggested his methods had not translated into results, but Jaker stressed that responsibility lay with the players.

“Julian Wood cannot be blamed here. We just could not deliver. It is our fault. We are responsible for everything that we could not deliver in the field. But we prepared well,” Jaker said.

“If we fail on the ground, we cannot blame the coaches or the work we tried to do. It is we who have to accept those mistakes — such as dropped catches and poor batting. We have to take responsibility for these things.”

The wicketkeeper-batsman also acknowledged that Litton’s absence had left a leadership vacuum alongside the loss of runs.

“I am new as a captain, so I am trying to adjust those things and keep delivering in the center,” he said. “I am just normal. As I have been given the responsibility, I will try to perform the duties and play according to the team plan.”

Looking ahead to the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah, Jaker said the priority was to fix the batting unit.

“Our main plan will be to perform as a batting unit, as we had to suffer due to our batting. That’s why we have to pay our attention to the batting side,” he said.

The stand-in captain also singled out in-form opener Saif Hasan, who impressed in the Asia Cup, as a key player for the series.

“Saif Hasan is doing really well, and we want him to score big in this series as well. Along with him, other batters should also do well. Then this series will be very good for us,” Jaker said.

BP/TD