Liton keeps trying to prove Einstein’s point on insanity

According to famous scientist Albert Einstein, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

On Tuesday at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, Bangladesh opener Liton Kumer Das, during the third T20I of the five-match series against Zimbabwe, validated his statement, if not anything else.

Einstein’s theory on insanity came under discussion as the right-handed opener got out making 12 runs after trying to scoop against pace bowler Blessing Muzarabani, following two successive failed scoop attempts.

It was not the first time Liton’s batting approach came under scrutiny considering in the past he had come up with a similar kind of effort that can only be termed as madness.

The most promising batsman of his generation is going through a rough phase and it seems he is feeling the pressure to deliver by all means, even if that requires him to follow a destructive path.

It is said that T20I cricket is all about innovation but there is a thin line that lies between batting aggressively and batting recklessly, and Liton decided to opt for the latter that now puts his place in the playing XI at risk, considering a lot of openers are on the line to fill his slot.

Bangladesh are expected to announce their squad for the last two T20Is today that will mark the return of Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman in the 15-member squad along with Soumya Sarkar, subject to his fitness as he is recovering from knee injury that he received during the last ODI against Sri Lanka at home.

Bangladesh team management picked up opener Parvez Hossain on the back of his tremendous form in Dhaka Premier League (DPL), though he is yet to get a chance in the playing XI and the arrival of Soumya will make things interesting at the top of the order.

Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who debuted in this series, already showed his ability to handle the pressure of shorter-format cricket, making 106 runs in three games with an average of 53.00 and a strike rate of 120.45.

It leaves another spot up for grabs following Liton’s dismal form in 2024 as he made 79 runs in six T20I matches that he played so far, averaging 13.16 and a strike rate of 97.53.

In 2023, Liton played nine games for Tigers making 323 runs at an average of 40.67 and a strike rate of 137.44 and his dip of form is surely a concern for the team management.

With Parvez and Soumya in line to get their chance, there is another candidate who can fill the spot at the top in skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, considering the team management decide to bring Shakib at three and not go for Soumya, Parvez or Liton they can prefer Najmul at the top as he did in the last World Cup.

Bangladesh team management always prefers to have a right-hand and left-hand combination but a member of the team management insists that might not be the case in future.

“We can have right-hand and left-hand combination but that does not imply we cannot go with two left-handed openers because form will certainly be taken into consideration before selecting someone for the playing XI rather than whether he is right-handed or left-handed,” Hannan Sarkar, member of the selection panel, told the Daily Sun on Tuesday without elaborating further. That certainly can be taken as a sign of caution for Liton, who needs to get back his sanity and perform in order to do justice to his potential and meet the expectations of the team management and his countrymen.

Towhid Hridoy, who played a crucial role behind clinching the series with the man of the performance under his belt in the first three games, backed Liton and believed he still had a lot to deliver.

“Look, no one willingly plays badly. Liton bhai and other top order batters are trying to give their best. A good player will not always play well. In the recent past there are lots of talks regarding Liton bhai’s strike rate but if you check you will find his strike rate is still among the top three in Bangladesh,” Hridoy told the reporters at ZACS in a press conference after the match on Tuesday.

“No matter whether you are the best batsman in the world, you will not play well in all the matches or series. I am hoping those who are not among runs will get back to the runs soon. In one game if he does good, he will make a comeback and it can happen that he can change the scenario in a big game. We have to keep the faith and it will not help if we lose the faith,” he concluded.