No pressure to prove anything Litton

Agency:

Ahead of leaving the country for the Asia Cup, Jaker Ali declared that Bangladesh is heading into the tournament with the ambition of winning the title. On the official opening day of the Asia Cup, Litton Das echoed the same sentiment; Bangladesh will keep their eyes on the trophy.

In this year’s Asia Cup, Bangladesh will compete in Group B, alongside Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. Winning at least two out of the three group matches would be enough to secure a place in the Super Four for the Tigers.

At the captains’ press conference, Litton said: “We have played three series recently and performed well in all of them. As a team, our confidence has grown. Every team in the Asia Cup is strong. To win here, you must play good cricket. That’s the real challenge.”

However, many analysts do not see Bangladesh as favorites to reach the Super Four this time. Cricket commentators like Harsha Bhogle and Aakash Chopra have tipped Sri Lanka and Afghanistan as the frontrunners from Bangladesh’s group. But Litton insists the Tigers are not driven by the urge to prove anything to others.

“We don’t feel the need to prove anything,” Litton added. “We have performed well in the recent past and had a good preparatory camp. Every side here is competitive and challenging. We are ready to embrace the challenge.”

Bangladesh have come close to winning the Asia Cup three times but have fallen agonizingly short losing the 2012 final to Pakistan, and the 2016 and 2018 finals to India.

Recalling those painful memories, Litton said: “In such big events… we have finished as runners-up a few times but never won the championship. Winning a title here is never easy. We will give our hundred percent, but the competition is tough. We have to overcome those challenges to succeed.”