Star Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das dedicated his hundred against Pakistan to his daughter Anayra, revealing how the kid kept praying for her father’s century ever since she was told what she could pray for to God.
Coming in at number six, Litton slammed 16 boundaries and two sixes during his 159-ball 126, registering his sixth Test hundred after Bangladesh had slumped to 116/6 following lunch.
Litton added 60 runs with Taijul Islam (16) off 114 deliveries for the seventh wicket and brought up his half-century off 93 balls.
“Dedicating this 💯 to my princess, Anayra Das. ❤️ During a puja ritual, she asked her mom what she should pray for. My wife told her, “Pray for your dad’s century,” Litton wrote in a Facebook post.
Litton took just
42 deliveries more to reach three figures with a cover drive off Khurram Shahzad and then smacked the next ball for six.
Litton added 38 with Taskin Ahmed and a crucial 64 with Shoriful Islam off 73 deliveries for the ninth wicket.
“The most important thing in this innings is that Taijul, Taskin and Shoriful all batted well and faced a lot of balls,” Litton said after the match.
Pakistan missed two review chances when replays showed faint edges off Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton that went unchallenged by skipper Shan Masood.
Litton looked determined from the moment he arrived at the crease and soon found himself batting with the tail after two more wickets fell within 10 runs. Realising he had to shoulder the responsibility, he started refusing singles and took charge of the innings himself.
It was a role Litton understood well, having rescued Bangladesh from a six-wicket collapse in Rawalpindi with a match-defining hundred that paved the way for a win.
After digging in alongside Taijul, Litton started to wrest back control of the innings from Pakistan.
