Riding on Tamim Iqbal’s unbeaten 58-ball 83, Bangladesh, despite a poor show, were propelled to a fighting score against the Netherlands yesterday in their 2016 World Twenty20 first-round opener. A matured Tamim was extremely sensible and guided his team off the ditch, despite the challenge of the unfamiliar conditions.
Below are the excerpts of the southpaw from his post-match media session yesterday:
How did the pitch play?
It wasn’t the easiest wicket to bat on. Earlier, it was holding on and it was also spinning. I had to take my time and set myself before playing big shots. I tried to bat long and stay calm, didn’t want to push too hard. That was my plan and I got success.
You are considered a big hitter but recently you are seeming to play more consciously. Your thoughts?
I’ve been talking a lot about my approach with the team management and senior players on how to go about in T20 cricket. I wasn’t doing justice to my talent. I wasn’t scoring too many runs in this format honestly. So I had to find new ways to score runs in T20s and I’ve been quite successful at home and in Dubai (Pakistan Super League). Just wanted to bat that way. I tried to be more calm and not try to hit too hard early. If everything goes well, my chances of success increase.
It has been a while since you last scored a T20I fifty. Were you desperate to get one yesterday?
I wasn’t frustrated as I wasn’t playing too many games anyway. Was only playing four or two games a year. I’ve been playing for Bangladesh for the last 10 years but have played only 44 T20Is. That’s not a lot. But I wasn’t that successful. There’s always time to learn. The last six months have been good in T20s. I’m happy that I am carrying the form to the World [T20] as well.
Did you plan for a hundred when you crossed fifty and was going great guns?
No there was not any plan to be honest. I was thinking about the team total, we needed 150 runs on the board. That would have created a chance for us. Our pacers did a brilliant job, especially Taskin [Ahmed], he was unplayable. The win has come through a united effort. I did my part with the bat and the bowlers did theirs. It made me really happy.