Litton Das to lead Bangladesh’s ODI squad after Tamim Iqbal’s sudden retirement

Published on July 7, 2023

After Tamim Iqbal’s shocking retirement from International cricket, Bangladesh are set to take on Afghanistan for the second ODI of the ongoing three-match series. The Bangladesh Cricket Board revealed that a few changes will take place in Bangladesh’s squad ahead of the second ODI. Star wicketkeeper Litton Das is all set to replace Iqbal as the skipper of the side, while Rony Talukdar will be included in the squad as the third opener.

Notably, Bangladesh suffered a loss in the first ODI as Afghanistan won in a rain-affected encounter by 17 runs as per the DLS method. However, a loss and Tamim’s sudden exit have put Bangladesh on the back foot. The left-handed batter was leading the side for two and a half years and had a 16-year-long career.

“Rony (Talukdar) will be drafted in the squad as we need to have another opener in the squad considering there is no Tamim Iqbal for us,” Cricbuzz quoted a BCB official. The official also stated that Litton Kumar Das is expected to lead the side before the new captain is announced. Shakib al Hasan is the front-runner to lead Bangladesh in ODIs in the future.

Litton Das will be looking to lead Bangladesh to a comeback in the series

Talking about Talukdar, he made his ODI debut in the home series against Ireland. The right-handed batter went out cheaply in the only ODI he played so far. However, the 32-year-old has performed well in the seven T20Is he has played for the Tigers having amassed 200 runs with a strike rate of above 139.

However, it would be a challenge for Bangladesh to defeat Afghanistan with their star spinners like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi without their most experienced batter. Das was the deputy of Tamim since 2022 and has also captained the side in his absence in the past. Now, it will be interesting to see how he will lead the side which is already trailing by 0-1. The second ODI between Bangladesh and Afghanistan is scheduled to be played on July 8th at Chattogram.