Tamim Iqbal worried even after registering first win in West Indies tour
At long last Bangladesh have registered their first win in the tour to West Indies as Tigers beat the hosts in the first One Day International (ODI) of the three-match series by six wickets at Guyana’s Providence stadium.
The visitors chased down a relatively small target of 150 runs in a match shortened due to rain on a tricky pitch after the bowlers had showed a brilliant performance containing West Indies to 149/9.
The win came following Bangladesh’s loses both in the Test and T20I series rather ignominiously.
Tigers will surely want to ensure series victory in the next match especially after the brilliant performance in the first ODI. But captain Tamim Iqbal has issues to ponder about even after such win.
Bangladesh missed four easy catches. Of those, three were in the last wicket partnership of West Indies. Otherwise, the hosts could have been skittled out to 112.
“Those missed catches would be game changers against stronger oppositions. Since being appointed as captain, I have been saying that these are important things. I’m worried about this. It must be stopped, it should come down gradually. If we could have hold onto the catches, we would have to chase 115 runs in the match. We must find out where is the problem. You see that a certain player is missing catches. This is not a good thing.”
We’ve three-four players who are vastly experienced in ODIs. I won’t say we are playing better cricket in the version I’m captaining and not in other versions. I’m also a part of those dressing rooms
With the win in the first ODI, Bangladesh have now secured nine wins at a stretch in ODI’s against West Indies. Tamim, however, did not want to say beating West Indies in ODI’s has become easier for the Tigers. “It feels good that we won the first match in West Indies. But I won’t say this was easier. We must play our best to ensure wins. They are a good team, a very dangerous team and they have proved it in Test and T20 series.”
Tamim said he said this in the pre-match team meeting as well. “I said it is not that everything would change since I am the ODI captain; it’s not even for this that we play ODI cricket better. The T20I captain, the Test captain, and other players – all tried their best to do better. It’s bad luck that we could not do well.”
The ODI captain does not want to blame any certain individual for not performing better. “We’ve three-four players who are vastly experienced in ODIs. I won’t say we are playing better cricket in the version I’m captaining and not in other versions. I’m also a part of those dressing rooms. I played in the Test series. Though I was not in the T20 team, I know everyone tried to give their best. Just the results did not come in our favour.”
Such opportunities will not be recurrent. His chances will decrease once Shakib, Mushfique and Yasir are back in the squad. A player must use the opportunities
Tamim thought it was important that the team could begin the ODI series with a win especially after the back to back losses in the Test and T20 series because such loss could dent the confidence level of the players. He also found winning the toss as important. “The wicket was very difficult, especially when they were batting in the first innings. It was an important toss to win. The wicket helped us in the beginning.”
Though Anamul Haque was in a squad after eight years due to his performance in the Dhaka Premier League and played in the Test and T20 series, he was not selected in the ODI team. “Bijoy (Anamul Haque) has just been inducted into the team. If we would have selected Bijoy in his place, it would seem as if playing Shanto (Najmul Hossain) in the last three series was wrong. Why did I keep Shanto in the team in the last three series? That is how I want to select the team. I have had a player in the team and just because I have got a new player, I am not going to choose him over the other. That's not the way I think.”
But the captain hasn't been pleased that Najmul Hossain got out for 37 and could not finish the match. “Such opportunities will not recur. His chances will decrease once Shakib, Mushfique and Yasir are back in the squad. A player must use the opportunities.”