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Bangladesh T20I captain Litton Das ruled out the possibility of him stepping down from the role following the defeat to a second-string Sri Lankan side in Asian Games 2026 bronze medal match on October 3. Das' Bangladesh faced a 63-run defeat at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin as Tharindu Ratnayake followed up the rescue knock with an impressive bowling display as well.
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Das has not been in good form of late. In the Asian Games 2026, he was dismissed for just two runs in the semifinal clash against Pakistan. Then, in the bronze medal match, he departed for a duck in the unsuccessful run chase. Before that, he recorded three consecutive ducks in the two-Test series against Australia as well. But, Das sees it as ups and downs of the game.
“My performance was not up to the mark. I could not perform well in both the matches,” Litton said.
“I don't want to resign. There are ups and downs in cricket. One day it will be good, one day it will be bad. There is no point in resigning here. It's normal. I came with a big target. When I can't deliver that…everyone will feel bad and it's natural. But as a team, we have given a lot in the past. I think we will give in the future too. We will try for that again,” he added.
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Das has also defended his players for eating out. There were reports of disciplinary action against Bangladesh players for stepping out of their hotel without prior information to the management. Das went on to lash out at lack of facilities at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as they couldn’t practice. He says that the player simply stepped out to eat and the food was inadequate.
“Practice is required. Are there facilities there? No,” Litton said. “So will a player be confined inside a room all day?
“They need energy. If you think that the food that is being provided by the federation here or the food that is being provided by the Asian Games is not suitable for us, then won't a player eat? So if they want to eat, they have to go out. That's what the players did,” he said.
Das lauded Ratnayake and criticised the batters for putting up an underwhelming display. Sri Lanka had lost four wickets for just 21 runs in the fourth over. After 10.5 overs, Sri Lanka were 54/5. But, Ratnayake walked in to bat and turned the game on its head. He smashed five sixes and seven fours in his 32-ball 65. His stellar knock helped Sri Lanka post 165/9. In the run chase, Bangladesh's top-order returned without adding a run to the score. Bangladesh lost four wickets for 18 runs. They couldn't recover and kept on losing wickets in the run chase. Eventually, they were bowled out for 102 and lost the match by 63 runs.
How Bangladesh performed in Asian Games 2026?
Earlier, Bangladesh had progressed to the semifinal without a ball being bowled in the quarterfinals. They were scheduled to face Malaysia in the quarterfinal but the match was abandoned due to rain. Bangladesh made it to last four as they had a better rankings that Malaysia.
Their semifinal match was reduced to a 13 overs per side game due to wet outfield. Towhid Hridoy rescued them from collapse and Bangladesh managed to post 111/7. Pakistan were tested by Bangladesh bowling lineup. They lost four wickets for 53 runs in 6.1 overs. But, Mustafizur Rahman was taken to the cleaners. Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz's cameos helped Pakistan get over the line with six wickets in hand and nine balls to spare.
Bangladesh’s T20I record this year
Bangladesh have played 10 T20Is in 2026 so far. They have lost seven of them. Their two of three wins came against Zimbabwe in July 2026. The only win against one of the top-ranked sides came against New Zealand at home. They opted not to play in the T20 World Cup 2026 due to politics in their cricket board following Mustafizur Rahman getting released from Kolkata Knight Riderss (KKR) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Bangladesh struggle with bat
Hridoy is Bangladesh's leading run-scorer in T20Is this year. From 10 innings, he has 285 runs at an average of 35.62 and strike rate of 144.67. He has hit two fifties this year. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain is their standout bowler with 11 wickets from nine T20Is this year at an average of 24.45.
Mahedi Hasan is the only other Bangladesh bowler with 10 or more T20I wickets this year. His economy rate is an impressive 7.06 runs per over.
What’s next for Bangladesh T20I side?
Bangladesh's next T20I series is against South Africa. They will tour South Africa for the T20I series in December. Before that, they will play two Tests and three ODIs in November against the Proteas as well. Then, they will head to Nepal for a three-T20I series next year in May.
Bangladesh in ICC rankings
Bangladesh are placed eighth in the T20I rankings with just one rating point lead over Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh's top-ranked T20I batter is Tanzid Hasan. he is ranked 17th. They have two bowlers in top 20. Nasum and Mahedi are ranked 11th and 19th respectively.
Who won gold and silver medal?
In the gold medal match, India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to win the final. Abhishek Sharma scored a 28-ball 61. Boundaries dried up in the middle overs. Then, Tilak Varma's unbeaten 52-ball 21 along with Shivam Dube's 15-ball 27 cameo helped India post 211/6.
Chasing a target of 212, Pakistan lost their top order for 39 runs in 6.1 overs. Hasan Nawaz kept the run chase alive with support from Saim Ayub. But Dube turned out to be the man with the golden arm. He did not just break the partnership but made up for Ravi Bishnoi's expensive overs. Hasan Nawaz scored 96 off 51 balls but it went in vain as Pakistan managed to post 192/6.
This is Pakistan’s first silver in cricket events at Asian Games. Meanwhile, India won their second consecutive gold medal. This was also India’s seventh consecutive T20I win over Pakistan. They haven’t lost a T20I to Pakistan since T20 Asia Cup 2026.
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