Patience key to success, says Tamim

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal shed his natural instinct of attacking the ball and took a clam approach to reach success in the just concluded three-match ODI series against hosts West Indies. 

100! .@TamimOfficial28 brings up his 11th century in ODIs and second in the series. #BANvWI pic.twitter.com/nxBnOFsIyX

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) July 28, 2018

The left-handed batsman finished top scorer in the series with 287 runs at an average of 143.50 and with a strike rate of 77.77. Tamim was the cornerstone of Bangladesh’s batting in the series as he started with a match winning unbeaten 130 runs in the first ODI, scored 54 in the second and registered his 11th ODI century scoring a series winning 103 in the third game at St Kitts on Saturday.

Tamim said the team had planned that he should go slow and steady and spend the most possible time in the middle. “The wicket was difficult to play throughout the series. You will be successful if you can manage to stay in the middle,” said Tamim to the media at St Kitts on Saturday.

Twin-ton @TamimOfficial28 is leading the charge of the Bangladeshis in the @MRFWorldwide ICC ODI Rankings ⬇️https://t.co/XZcne70ukY pic.twitter.com/A7h46B704b

— ICC (@ICC) July 29, 2018

Bangladesh had come into the ODI series on the back of dreadful experiences in the two-match Test series in which they were whitewashed following severe batting collapse. Winning the first ODI series outside Asia in nine years thus had a big meaning to the team. 

“We did not have a good Test series and I individually could not score for the team. This made me spend longer time in practice sessions. Like I said many times before, we are more comfortable in this format of cricket (ODI). My team wanted me to spend as long as possible in the middle. It was our plan and I was thankfully able to execute that,” Tamim informed.

Tamim by character is not patient and that reflects in his batting. However for the teams need he had to work on his mental setup and the reward has been a brilliant one. The team won the series while he finished as the Man-of-the-Series and twice Man-of-the-Match.

“Patience is really important, especially on wickets in West Indies. Wickets in Guyana were difficult. It had helped the spinners and in the first game there was seam movement. One needs to take time on such wickets and play ball-by-ball according to the merit. I think patience has been key to my success for which I have been able to score big,” the left-handed batsman explained. 

Player of the Match and Player of the Series, .@TamimOfficial28 interview after the match. pic.twitter.com/2WTrxtgr8q

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) July 29, 2018