Litton laments missed opportunity after bronze slip
Bangladesh skipper Litton Das said his side had “missed the opportunity” to win a medal at the Asian Games 2026 after losing the bronze-medal match to Sri Lanka by 63 runs at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Saturday.
After losing to Pakistan in the semifinal, Bangladesh’s last hope of winning their second medal at the ongoing Asian Games rested on the outcome of their bronze-medal match against Sri Lanka.
However, they produced a disappointing performance, being bowled out for 102 in 17.3 overs while chasing 166.
“Very disappointing. We came here with a very big target. When that did not happen, we had another option. We missed the opportunity. The opportunity was there, but we could not play good cricket, and that’s why we missed those opportunities,” Litton told reporters after the match, referring to their initial target of winning the gold medal.
Litton was also straightforward in admitting that Bangladesh did not play good cricket in Japan, while he praised Sri Lanka batter Tharindu Ratnayake, who smashed a 32-ball 65 featuring seven fours and five sixes.
Bangladesh appeared to have taken control of the match after reducing Sri Lanka to 54-5 in the 11th over after they opted to bat, but Ratnayake and skipper Sahan Arachchige (33 off 37 balls) then added 93 for the sixth wicket to help Sri Lanka post a challenging total.
Bangladesh, in reply, lost all three of their top-order batters -- Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Litton Das -- for ducks. Their top scorer was Nasum Ahmed, who made 26 off 28 balls after coming in at No. 9, but by then Bangladesh's defeat was all but confirmed.
“The explanation for the defeat is that we did not play good cricket. I felt that we bowled very well in the first eight overs. Then you saw how a batter came in and played the kind of shots he did on this wicket, which was very difficult. But he batted extraordinarily well, and our bowlers simply could not find a clue as to how to make a comeback from there. So, credit must go to him for playing an extraordinary innings,” he said.
“When we came to bat, we could not make up for it in any way. From a batting perspective, we were not up to the mark today,” said Litton, adding that the whole team was disappointed at not winning a medal but hoped they would do better in the future.
Bangladesh won gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou before securing bronze medals in the next two editions, in 2014 and 2022. This was the first time in the country's Asian Games history that both the men's and women's cricket teams returned without a medal.
“It is natural. When we came from Bangladesh, we came here with a big target. When we cannot achieve that as a team, and as captain, everyone will feel disappointed, and that is only natural.
“But the Bangladesh team has achieved a lot in the past, and I believe we will achieve a lot in the future as well. We will try again to do that,” he added.
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