Liton's form is a concern but his leadership is praiseworthy: Simmons

Dhaka, 19 Dec -Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons heaped praise on Liton Das's leadership quality but admitted his form is a concern.

Liton successful lead the side to a T20 International series victory over West Indies, a first ever instance for Bangladesh on West Indies soil in this format in absence of regular skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto but he made just three runs in two matches.

"Litton has made some excellent decisions in the last two matches. He has embraced his role as a leader very well," Simmons told the reporters at St Vincent ahead of the third and final T20, which starts Friday.

"It's a concern that he hasn't been scoring runs, but not every player
performs every day," he further said, hoping that the opener will hit back to form in the final game.

"Players prepare to do well, and I hope he can bounce back in the final match," said the head coach."

Bangladesh earlier held West Indies for a 1-1 draw in the Test series but suffered an ignominious whitewash in three-match ODI series. Simmons believes the players had learnt from their mistakes.

"I think the ODI performances gave the players confidence to perform against this opposition, even though the format is entirely different," he remarked.

"The way we've won these matches wasn't predictable, and credit must go to the players. Especially after the ODI defeat, they've shown remarkable resilience." he added.

The coach, however, is optimistic to end the T20 series on a winning note.

"Before every match, I believe we can win. Even after losing all the ODIs, we discussed strategies to succeed here. We did that before the first match, the second, and now we'll do the same for the third. This team has the ability to win," he concluded.