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Thursday | September 24, 2026 | Dhaka

Litton sets sights on Asian Games Gold, Olympics

 Sports Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 24 September 2026  Updated: 10:46 PM, 23 September 2026

Bangladesh men’s cricket team regularly play bilateral series and participate in tournaments like the World Cup or the Asia Cup.

However, this time, Litton and his teammates are heading to the Asian Games. While teams often send second-string squads for cricket events at such multi-sport games, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are sending its national team this time.

For Litton, too, this marks his first experience participating in these Games. Bangladesh men’s cricket team will leave the city for Japan today.

That excitement was evident in the voice of Bangladesh T20I cricket team Captain Litton said, “Playing for the national team is a major achievement, and competing on a stage like this is also significant.

In other tournaments, winning means lifting a trophy, but here, there is the prospect of winning gold. It is a big dream; I believe every cricketer is excited.”

Along with the excitement, there is the pressure of expectations. Bangladesh always looks to cricket for medals at the Asian Games.

This time, the women’s cricket team failed to even secure a bronze. Apart from Wushu, there has been no news of medals in any other event so far. Consequently, the expectation to win a medal rests heavily on the men’s cricket team.

Litton commented on this, saying, “I can say one thing: our players are very keen on this because this tournament doesn’t come around often.

Every player is thrilled, and we will strive to fulfill that big dream.”
For now, Litton is focused on reaching the Asian Games cricket final: “We are looking at how we can make it to the final, because reaching the final gives us a chance to win gold.”

Bangladesh have not had much success at the Games. Far from winning an Olympic medal, the number of events where the Bangladesh men’s cricket team have qualified directly to compete can be counted on one’s fingers. This time, however, cricket offers that very opportunity.

Cricket will feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

However, the qualification process is quite complex. Among the six participating teams, the top-ranked teams from the Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Europe continents will qualify directly. Host nation the United States of America will also gain direct entry, provided they are ranked within the top 15 of the ICC T20I rankings.

The final spot will be decided through a qualifying tournament. Bangladesh will have to compete against New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to secure that place.

Yet, qualifying for the Olympics offers a significant opportunity for success in cricket; Litton hopes that achieving this could also inspire athletes from other disciplines.

Thanks to their high ranking, Bangladesh will start directly in the quarter-finals of the Asian Games. Their opponent for the match scheduled for September 28 at 11:00am have not yet been decided.

Bangladesh squad: Litton Das (Captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tawhid Hridoy, Musaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud and Aliss Al Islam.