‘We are people, not machines': Rizwan on his and Litton's poor form this BPL

The ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) started with a loss for Comilla Victorians but they have picked themselves up. The reigning champions of the franchise T20 tournament are now fourth in the points table after winning three out of five matches. Comilla could have been in a better position due to their bowling performances, but their top order has been letting them down. Especially the two openers Mohammad Rizwan and Litton Das, who are struggling for runs.

None of them have scored a half-century so far or even crossed 20 and their highest partnership is of 26 runs. But Rizwan said they are people, not machines and that the success of the team is more satisfying for the Pakistan opener than his own performance.

Comilla practiced at Mirpur Stadium's academy ground on Monday before the start of the second phase in Dhaka.  "We are in a good position in the points table. The matches we lost, we didn't lose by a big margin. Hopefully, our batting form will see a change too."

Rizwan is playing for Comilla for the second consecutive time and runs flowed from his bat in the last season. He scored 351 runs in 10 matches. This time this right-handed batter has only scored 64 runs at an average of just 21.33 in four matches and a high score of 17. Had it not been for his unbeaten 16 off 24 balls in the last match, his batting average would have been even lower.

"I am human, not a machine. I am trying my best for the team. I am happy with the results of the team. This is what I and everyone in the team want. Talking about my performance, it was not as I wanted. This is not what people expect from me. But I am not a machine. I'm working hard, trying my best," Rizwan admitted. 

Litton is also going through a very difficult time. As the captain of Comilla, the right-handed opener scored only 37 runs in five matches with his highest innings being 17 runs. Litton, who captained a BPL team for the first time, could not even score double-digit runs in the last three matches. But the manner of his dismissals have been a sight for sore eyes with it looking like he's getting himself out on most occasions rather than being dismissed by good bowling.

Rizwan stood by Litton during this bad patch. "I saw Litton working hard but it is a matter of getting that rhythm back. He is a sound cricketer and looking at his dismissals, he was unlucky in some cases. But from what I see, he is always working hard. Hopefully, he will perform in the next match," Rizwan concluded.