‘Winning our only aim’

Bangladesh One-Day International captain Tamim Iqbal said his only aim is to win in their upcoming South Africa series, despite the Tigers’ poor track record against the Proteas.

Tamim talked to the reporters at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, where he shared his aim for the three-match ODI series, which are part of the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League.

“In ODI cricket, we are at such a stage from where we should not settle for anything less than winning. We will go there to win, but at the same time, I must admit that it will not be easy,” the left-handed opener told the media.

Bangladesh is now at the top of the point table of the ODI Super League, but their poor record in South Africa is making Tamim a bit anxious.

“Our record over there is not good enough. But the record is such a thing that it could change at any moment. A great example was the Test win in New Zealand. We could not do well there for a long time, but we finally changed that. Hopefully against South Africa, we can change our track record too,” said the ODI captain.

Tamim was trapped by rookie Fazalhaq Farooqi thrice in the last ODI series against Afghanistan, but the batsman thinks he is not out of form.

“I am proud of my batting. People will talk, but after playing international cricket for so many years, I realised that you might not get good scores in two or three series, but sometimes, we will get good scores in two-three series straight too. This is cricket and life, we have to adjust with that,” said the opener.

South Africa included their Indian Premier League-bound players in the squad against Bangladesh, and Tamim thinks a tougher opposition will inspire them to bring out the best.

“I think it’s the best possible thing to happen for us. Because in the World Cup, everyone will bring their best cricketers. If we play against the best team, we can find out our weaknesses. If we can succeed against them, that will give us a huge confidence boost. I am very happy that they are fielding a full side,” said Tamim on Wednesday.