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In stunning form in the T20 World Cup qualifiers, Tamim Iqbal wants to play a leading role for Bangladesh in the all-important Super-10 clash against Pakistan in Kolkata on March 16. Bangladesh, on Sunday, became the second team after Afghanistan to qualify for the main round of the T20 World Cup. (World T20: Tamim Iqbal Stars as Bangladesh Beat Oman to Qualify For Super 10s)
Tamim was in blazing form as he scored an unbeaten 103 off 63 balls to blow away minnows Oman in Dharamsala. The left-handed opener struck 10 fours and five sixes on a day when the elements threatened to play havoc with the calculations. (World T20: Mashrafe Mortaza Attributes ‘Fearless Cricket’ For Bangladesh Success)
Tamim’s century could not have come at a better time. Bangladesh will need his form against Pakistan and Tamim feels his country’s recent record against the former T20 World Cup champions was reason enough to feel good before a big game.
“Our current record against Pakistan is good. We can keep dreaming about good things but it is better to realistic and take game-by-game at this stage.
“The way the team is playing, the way the batsman and bowlers are performing… it is a very important game. I hope I can contribute to the team in that game also,” Tamim said. Bangladesh had stunned Pakistan in recently-concluded Asia Cup to set up a final against India.
Tamim Iqbal Gets Past Shakib-Al-Hasan
On Sunday, Tamim became the first Bangladesh batsman to score a 1000 runs in T20 internationals. Tamim got past former world No. 1 all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan to become Bangladesh’s leading scorer in all formats of the game. Tamim is not rejoicing yet.
“I want to raise the level for the next generation of cricketers from Bangladesh. If I continue to play for another six-seven-eight years, I want to better my records so that they are not easy to break,” Tamim said.
Tamim’s batting has won praise from his skipper and long-time teammate Mashrafe Mortaza. The Bangladesh captain feels the team is in good form and having played non-stop cricket from the Asia Cup, it is ready for the Super-10 stage. “We need Tamim to fire. He is in extra-ordinary form,” Mortaza said.
“I don’t think we are short on match-practice. In fact, we have played a lot of cricket. The only worry is that we have played in different conditions. Adjustment can be an issue.
“Dharamsala was like playing in Ireland or England. Kolkata will be very different. It will all depend on how well we can read the wickets,” Mortaza said, adding that he will need a lot of luck with the toss as well.
Source: NDTV