Bangladesh are getting ready for a new era of T20Is with Litton Das as captain. The stylish right-hander has started a new conversation about the Mirpur pitch, which has been a problem in the country's cricketing environment for a long time.

Litton wasn't shy when he talked about how unpredictable the wicket at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, in an exclusive chat with Utpal Shuvro, a top writer at Prothom Alo.  The 30-year-old said that practicing on this pitch often might hurt a batter's skill instead of helping it.

“Before I joined the national team, I used to practice in Rangpur, Bogura, Chattogram, Rajshahi — all had pretty decent wickets,” Litton said. “Even BKSP had good surfaces. When you bat regularly on good pitches, your playing pattern aligns with that. But after entering the national team and practicing consistently here at Mirpur — I honestly feel there's a bigger chance of becoming worse rather than better.”

Litton reflected on how the Mirpur pitch affected his natural game, “Practicing here regularly, I lost some of my own signature shots. Doubt started creeping in. That doubt slowly pulled my skill level down. I couldn’t play with the same confidence.”

The core of Litton’s frustration lies in the unpredictable bounce and inconsistent behavior of the Mirpur surface. “It’s not a problem if you know the ball will swing or turn. But when you have no clue what the ball will do after pitching, it becomes incredibly difficult. Batters have less than a second to react. If it was just me struggling, fine. But everyone struggles here.”

He further elaborated that even bowlers are unsure of what the pitch will offer. “A pitch like in New Zealand — you know it'll bounce and swing, but it won’t turn or keep low. So you prepare accordingly. But here in Mirpur? The same delivery might turn sharply, or stay low, or bounce unexpectedly. Even bowlers don’t know how the ball will behave. How do you adjust to that?”

Litton also dismissed the idea that players should simply adapt to conditions like these, pointing out that foreign conditions offer at least some consistency to base preparation on. “Adaptability is a different concept. Of course we struggle abroad at first, but after 7-8 days, we manage to adjust. If we couldn’t adjust at all, no Bangladeshi batter would survive there. But here? There’s no baseline. No one knows what’s coming next.”