Nine dismissals, a century and a fifty: Litton sets world record on 32nd birthday

On his 32nd birthday, Litton Das became the first cricketer in Test history to record nine dismissals as a wicketkeeper while scoring a century and a half-century in the same match.

On Day 5 of Bangladesh’s one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi today, Litton broke the record set by South Africa’s Denis Lindsay, who recorded eight dismissals and scored a half-century and a century in the same Test in 1966. Playing against Australia, Lindsay scored 69 and 182.

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Litton reached the milestone with a stunning catch as Bangladesh finally broke through after a frustrating first session.

The Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter has been outstanding both behind and in front of the stumps, taking several superb catches and completing an excellent stumping while scoring 53 in the first innings and 102 in the second. He added another moment of brilliance just before lunch, diving to take a one-handed catch off Ebadot Hossain to dismiss Ikram Alikhil for 33.

The catch took Litton’s tally to nine dismissals across the two innings, setting a new Test record for a wicketkeeper who also scored a century and a half-century in the same match.

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Litton closes in on another world record

Litton had already set a Bangladesh record on the previous day by recording eight dismissals in a single Test, surpassing Khaled Mashud Pilot’s previous record of seven. On Tuesday, the final day, he took another catch to reach nine dismissals and achieve a remarkable milestone.

All four wickets that fell during Afghanistan’s second innings involved Litton, who took all four catches. In the first innings, he took four catches and completed an excellent stumping, including a particularly sharp catch. With the bat, he scored 53 in the first innings and 102 in the second, making him Bangladesh’s standout performer in the Test.

Litton now has another world record within reach. If he records two more dismissals, he will join three other wicketkeepers who share the record for the most dismissals in a single Test match. England’s Jack Russell, South Africa’s AB de Villiers and India’s Rishabh Pant jointly hold the record with 11 dismissals in a match.