SL vs. BAN 2025: Litton Das’ confidence is low, but we are backing him: Phil Simmons

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons acknowledged that T20I skipper Litton Das is now lacking confidence, and the squad is working to assist him restore his form ahead of the second T20I against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Sunday, July 13. Sri Lanka now leads the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first match convincingly by seven wickets.

Litton Das has been struggling recently, failing to hit a half-century in his previous 17 international innings (ODIs and T20Is) combined.

His latest fifty in limited-overs cricket was in June 2024. He was dropped from the ODI XI following a first-ball duck in the first match of the series, and he scored only six runs in the first T20I.

“I believe his confidence is a touch low. We know what he is capable of producing. We’re working hard to get him to that point. Hopefully, he will get there in the next encounter,” Simmons remarked ahead of the forthcoming showdown.

Simmons added that a final decision on Jaker Ali, who missed the first T20I owing to a quad injury, will be made closer to the second match. Although Jaker was apparently eager to participate and could have made the XI if he had been cleared to maintain wickets, the team management chose not to take the risk. He also justified his decision to field four openers in the opening match, claiming it was a strategic decision based on team requirements and conditions.

“Jaker was injured before the third ODI. We’ll observe how he is tonight and make a judgement on his position tomorrow. We’ll see what happens here tonight. We’ll see the wicket and decide whether we want to stick with the same team or change things up,” the former cricketer added.

“People need to look at what’s happening. Jaker is injured, so who else will we play there? One of the bowlers? People need to be realistic. We had to play a batter in Jaker’s place. Adaptation is quite important in this format. Players must adjust. In this system, openers may play at number five or six. The next step is to improve in areas where we fell short in the last game. We need to score more runs and bowl better in the opening six overs. We need to improve at specific levels in order to compete with them. That’s what we intend to do,” he said.

Our fielding improved with consistent repetition: Chandana

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka fielding coach Upul Chandana acknowledged that the team’s sharp performances in the field are a result of consistent repetition and focused practice. He noted that Sri Lanka’s fielding has been outstanding throughout the series, adding extra pressure on the Bangladesh side.

“If you take from 2023, we have to improve fielding. We analysed and realised that we had to work on a few areas – like we worked on our fitness, and we increased repetition. Confidence is the key. We do a lot of repetitions and players are confident that they can do things now. They hang in the game till the last moment,” he said.

“If we used to spend 20 minutes on fielding before, now we spend about 40 minutes on fielding. Our biggest challenge was getting the best out of our fast bowlers. They worked really hard. That has been a big boost for the team. They are putting their full energy and focus on fielding and that’s one reason why we have done well in fielding,” the fielding coach added.

Chandana finds progression in Lanka as a team

Chandana noted the team’s improvement in fielding, crediting players’ commitment and attitude. He added that fielding allows everyone to contribute and brings satisfaction. He also emphasized not taking the opposition lightly despite their recent win at Pallekele.

“We have a lot of good fielders. We are progressing as a team. We are in a better position than where we were. That was because of the player’s commitment. Fielding is all about attitude. Bowlers can go for runs. Batters can be dismissed for a low score. But fielding, everyone can contribute. We have told them that this is a challenge and that needs to be enjoyed. At the end of the game, players can feel good if they have fielded well, and they are all giving their best,” he expressed.

“We had a good game at Pallekele. Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka were awesome for us. They gave us a solid start. As a team, we had a good game across all three disciplines, and we are geared up to go ahead of tomorrow’s game. They are a good side, and we expect them to fight hard to level the series. We are trying to play better than how we played the last game,” the former Sri Lanka international concluded.