Tamim Iqbal – Me and Shakib are helping each other when we are leading the teams, nothing else matters

шшш
Tamim Iqbal says it was between two individuals who are very important members of the team and it shouldn't have come out of that room, I am not commenting on that

Tamim Iqbal certainly looked ready to take the heat as he entered the press conference room at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday while after the breach between Tamim and Shakib Al Hasan was discussed by President Nazmul Hassan, it turned out to be the talk of the town.

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal certainly looked ready to take the heat as he entered the press conference room at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday (February 26). 

After the breach between Tamim and Shakib Al Hasan was discussed by Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan in an exclusive interview with Cricbuzz, it turned out to be the talk of the town.

“I was prepared since yesterday,”

Tamim began.

“I have never seen so many journalists in one room. I knew these questions would come. It would have been very easy for me to say “no comments, let’s move forward”, but I think it was important to give my message to the journalists and fans. This is why I was happy to answer.”

While Tamim refused to deny the comments made by the president, he did point out that things are fine between the two players on the field. 

“The important thing is when Shakib and I put on the Bangladesh jersey when we are giving our best if we are helping each other when we are leading the teams, nothing else matters. Whatever anyone is saying, whether we have coffee together, these things don’t matter I can assure you that I always get his help as an ODI captain, and I am always there if he needs any suggestions in the Test team. When we bat together, or when we are celebrating his wicket, it’s absolutely normal,”

said Tamim.

“Everyone is my friend. I have dinner with Taskin, Taijul, Mithun, Shanto, and Mushfiq. It is a professional world where your relations won’t be the same with everyone. It is exactly in our team. What matters most is our motive when we are out in the field,”

he said.

In response to a question about whether their disagreement off the field might be resolved after the board failed to do so during a meeting with both players, Tamim expressed disappointment at the fact that the news became public while not ruling out the chances of patching up. 

“Everything is possible,”

he said.

“It was between two individuals who are very important members of the team. It shouldn’t have come out of that room. I am not commenting on that.”

The veteran also brushed aside Nazmul’s claim that the dressing room is unhealthy adding that he is not aware of players forming factions. 

“Our team environment has been good for some years,”

he pointed out.

“A happy dressing room allows one to achieve the type of results that you are seeing. We have been doing well in ODIs for five or six years, especially in the last five or six series. I think everything is very normal, as it was in the last 12 months.

“I have been playing for Bangladesh for 17 years. In different times when the team wasn’t doing well, this term (grouping) was used. I am not just saying it and I am quite a straightforward person, I have never seen it in my career. I don’t know if it developed in the last six months when I wasn’t with the team, but it doesn’t seem like it. I haven’t seen anything in the last three or four days. We have been having fun, talking about the BPL, etc. Sadly when the team isn’t doing well, this term comes up. Now the team is doing well. As far as I am concerned, everything is very fine.”

When the conversation finally turned to the upcoming series against England at home, Tamim made the point that his team would want to play on better wickets at home with a World Cup coming up in India later this year. 

“We have been discussing playing better on true wickets,”

he said.

“You will see a reflection of our thinking, starting from this series when we shifted the third ODI to Chattogram instead of all the matches in Dhaka. It is a step forward.

“We are expecting mostly batting-friendly wickets in the World Cup. But we must remember that while trying to make these changes, we cannot be result-oriented. We cannot tolerate losing but we have to be open for both results in the short-term, but in two or three months, we will get (better) results,”

said Tamim adding that Mehedy Hasan’s arrival as a proper all-rounder is a blessing for them.

“He makes the life of a captain much easier to make the XI. Shakib was the allrounder but now we consider Miraz in the same bracket. We can add an extra bowler, as we can count Miraz as a batter the way he is playing. It is a blessing for us, the way he performed. He has incredible talent and self-belief. You can have incredible talent, but without incredible self-belief, you cannot win those matches. I think he has both.”

Tamim was also confident of Chandika Hathurusingha would do better than he had in the past since he now fully understands the culture of their dressing room. 

“When he (Hathurusingha) was the coach last time, it took us five-six months to understand each other. Now that gap doesn’t exist, so we know each other. I think he has a lot of good qualities like previous coaches. I am pretty sure he will do much better this time.”

Comments

0