Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal bats in the Mirpur nets Dhaka Tribune/Md Manik
Tamim Iqbal believes the opportunity is big for those who have been called as replacements and a challenge as a team to produce good results
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has eyed the forthcoming ODI series against host Sri Lanka for a comeback from the bad patch that he had to deal throughout the World Cup 2019.
And handed with a sudden charge as the captain as Mashrafe bin Mortaza got ruled out due to injury, the responsibility has just turned sky high for Tamim.
Mashrafe was forced to rest due to a hamstring injury that he picked up during a practice session Friday and a prompt decision made the BCB declare Tamim as the captain for the series.
The Bangladesh team left Dhaka Saturday morning for the three-ODI series against the island nation and by reaching the destination in the afternoon became the first team to visit Colombo since the massive terrorist attacks in April this year.
Bangladesh are missing a number of prominent names including the likes of Shakib al Hasan and Mashrafe.
Tamim believes the opportunity is big for those who have been called as replacements and a challenge as a team to produce good results.
As a team, Bangladesh will have the ambition to pull up their reputation that was left shaken following a below par result in the World Cup earlier this month.
The Tigers made a flying start in the 10-nation World Cup only to finish as No 8 in the competition with some late defeats in the league phase.
“I will expect those who are in the squad to grab the opportunity with both hands. It will be good for the team and as well for them on personal grounds,” said Tamim to the media at the airport before their departure.
“I believe the series is very important for us. The team we have got have a lot to prove. Many of the experienced players are not part of this series owing to injuries and other reasons making the series challenging for us. Sri Lanka are a strong side at home but we can drive confidence from having done well in our previous tours in the island. There is no reason for us to not do well,” the left-handed batsman explained.
However, Tamim as a batsman is concerned right now.
The southpaw was below his high standards in the World Cup as he managed 235 runs at an average of 29.37 from eight games.
The opener had averaged 57.06 between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, but history repeated itself – the batsman was on a pale patch in yet another 50-over World Cup.
“I was not able to perform to the level I had expected. The challenge ahead is new and I hope it will be a good one,” said Tamim.
“But honestly I do not push myself into thinking of the negatives much. It is not a wise thing to do. The series ahead (against Sri Lanka) is all that I have in focus and trying to think only of the positives,” the Bangladesh opener added.
