Opener Tamim Iqbal’s return to form will boost the confidence of the entire Dhaka Platoon dressing room, coach Mohammad Salahuddin has said.
Tamim scored a match winning 74 off 53 deliveries against Cumilla Warriors on Friday, and followed it up with 31 off 28 balls against Sylhet Thunder at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.
Left-handed opener Tamim has been dealing with below-par form for the most part of 2019. After a long break for personal reasons, he recently returned to action in the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League T20.
Tamim started the BBPL with just five runs in the first game, but then bounced back hard with a blistering half-century against Cumilla Warriors on Friday to get Platoon their first win of the season. In his last four BPL innings, Tamim has an unbeaten 100, a half-century and a 30-plus runs innings. The century came in the final of the last edition of BPL T20, winning Comilla Victorians the championship.
“I think this innings [against Cumilla Warriors on Friday] will help him get back his confidence. He has not been among runs for quite a few days and needed to spend some time in the middle, and he managed to do just what was required,’’ coach Salahuddin told the media.
Dhaka Platoon registered their first victory in the Bangabandhu @BCBtigers Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20, riding on a fine 74 from Tamim Iqbal, as they beat Cumilla Warriors by 20 runs at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.https://t.co/yRFYtKn10a#BCB
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) December 13, 2019
On Friday, Tamim had begun slow and steady, focusing more on taking singles. At one point, he was on 14 runs off 22 balls.
After surviving on 23, as Soumya Sarkar dropped him at the long leg region, Tamim did not look and soon reached 50 off 40 balls. The Tamim show finally ended in the 17th over, when he was caught at deep point for 74 off 53 balls, including six boundaries and four sixes.
Salahuddin said Tamim is looking to take his time and this approach is paying dividends.
“What was good was that he was not trying to do anything in a hurry. When you are not among runs or are out of cricket for a long time, at times you play a rash shot, but he managed to avoid it,’’ the coach explained.
“We feel that this innings is just the start and we are expecting more to follow,” the former Bangladesh assistant coach further said.
