Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das has etched his name into Test cricket history with an extraordinary performance against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, combining a half-century, a century and nine dismissals behind the stumps in the same match.
Litton reached the milestone on Tuesday when he took a spectacular diving catch to dismiss Ikram Alikhil during Afghanistan’s second innings. The catch brought his tally of dismissals in the one-off Test to nine, while his scores of 53 and 102 made him the first player in Test history to record nine dismissals alongside a fifty and a century in the same match.
Litton Breaks Bangladesh’s Longstanding Record
The 32-year-old had already set a new Bangladesh record for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in a Test match.
Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud held the previous national record of seven dismissals, achieved against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2004. Litton surpassed that mark during the Afghanistan Test after taking four catches and completing a stumping in the first innings, before adding more catches in the second.
His latest catch extended the record further and underlined his importance to Bangladesh in both innings.
A World Record Within Reach
Litton’s nine dismissals have placed him within reach of the outright Test record for wicketkeeping dismissals in a single match.
The benchmark remains 11 dismissals, jointly held by England’s Jack Russell, South Africa’s AB de Villiers and India’s Rishabh Pant. Russell achieved the feat against South Africa in 1995, de Villiers against Pakistan in 2013 and Pant against Australia in 2018.
Litton would need three more dismissals to surpass that mark. His pursuit of the record has added another compelling storyline to the final day of the Abu Dhabi Test.
A Century That Revived His Batting Form
Litton’s achievements behind the stumps have been matched by a strong return with the bat. After scoring 53 in Bangladesh’s first innings, he struck 102 off 117 balls in the second, hitting 14 boundaries.
His century helped Bangladesh declare at 372 for seven and set Afghanistan a challenging target of 479. Litton also shared a 149-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who remained unbeaten on 52.
The innings was especially significant after a difficult run of scores in recent international matches. Litton’s return to form gave Bangladesh a major boost as they pushed for victory.
He also crossed 9,000 international runs during the Test, adding another milestone to a match that has showcased his contributions with both bat and gloves.
With Bangladesh pressing for a win and Litton already having broken the national wicketkeeping record, his performance in Abu Dhabi has become one of the defining stories of the series.
