Liton’s form is a concern, but his leadership is praiseworthy: Simmons

Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons heaped praise on Liton Das’s leadership qualities but admitted his form is a concern.

Liton successfully led the side to a T20 International series victory over the West Indies, the first-ever instance for Bangladesh on West Indies soil in this format, in the absence of regular skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto. However, he made just three runs in two matches.

“Liton has made some excellent decisions in the last two matches. He has embraced his role as a leader very well,” Simmons told reporters in St Vincent ahead of the third and final T20, which starts tomorrow (Friday).

“It’s a concern that he hasn’t been scoring runs, but not every player performs every day,” he further said, hoping that the opener will return to form in the final game.

“Players prepare to do well, and I hope he can bounce back in the final match,” said the head coach.

Bangladesh earlier drew the Test series 1-1 against the West Indies but suffered an ignominious whitewash in the three-match ODI series. Simmons believes the players have learned from their mistakes.

“I think the ODI performances gave the players confidence to perform against this opposition, even though the format is entirely different,” he remarked.

“The way we’ve won these matches wasn’t predictable, and credit must go to the players. Especially after the ODI defeat, they’ve shown remarkable resilience,” he added.

The coach, however, is optimistic about ending the T20 series on a winning note.

“Before every match, I believe we can win. Even after losing all the ODIs, we discussed strategies to succeed here. We did that before the first match, the second, and now we’ll do the same for the third. This team has the ability to win,” he concluded.