Sports desk: Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal said that they should focus much more on themselves rather than its opposition, Afghanistan in their next three-T20 series in Dehradun in June.
Tamim also said that you will never come out of it if you will be focused in a particular matter only.
“If you obsessed in a particular issue, then you’ll not come out of it because you will have always mulled over it,” said Tamim Iqbal yesterday.
“He (Rashid Khan) is good bowler and delivers his career best bowling, that’s all correct but it will be very much helpful for us if we could think much about ourselves than him,” Tamim told media before going to play the first match-scenario practice ahead of the Afghanistan series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
The hard-hitting batsman, who is yet to hold any talk with captain Shakib Al Hasan about the next series, said that sometimes a bit of knowledge could assist you enormously which depends on how you work in a particular day.
“Rashid Khan in Comilla Victorians was my teammate for one month. Sometimes you may get somewhat idea about a player but it’s not possible to get everything about him,” he said.
“If it’s always happened, it would not be possible to perform well in IPL. It depends on the day how you read him on the wicket and how you make your plan to face him. And that’s the most important thing,” he also said.
“I can be prepared myself by planning and tactical aspects but if I could not execute it in the field properly, there will then have no gain of it. It’s always right that a bit or some information might help you but it depends on how you will work in a particular day and that’s the main thing,” he added.
The left-handed batsman considered leg-spinner Rashid Khan as the best T20 bowler, stating that they have appeared at this stage by devastating such types of challenges.
“I think, his quick arm-action is the most difficult part. One thing was that he had not for the last six-month back was his accuracy. Now he is enough accurate along with successful in his attempt. He beat all world class batsmen and did well,” he said of Rashid Khan.
“But it’s not that we will not play him at all. If we could apply ourselves in right way, we’ll of course handle him. It’ll not be right thing to focus only on player. They’ve some more good players also along with good bowlers. If you focus only on a player then you’ll go there with a negative mentality,” he also said.
“No doubt, he is now the best bowler in T20. But I’m sure that we have played well facing such types of challenges. Hopefully we could do in this time around,” he added.
Returning from his knee-injury-layoff after a two-month hiatus, Tamim took part in the full-fledged practice session where in he was seen batting at ease at the center wicket of the Home of cricket.
Tamim side in this regard, “We had a pretty long break. Batting at net is different than batting in match. Hopefully what purpose we’re batting in the match will be fulfilled. Today’s match will be meaningful if we could achieve what we are motivated for.”
When asked about his target in T20, the south-paw said that the entire thing depends on in what role he was given from the team management.
“I’ll set my goal on base of what I was given my role from the team management. If I was given responsibility to decorate the innings, I’ll then do it. Again, it’s told me that I’ve to take chance from the very initial stage, I’ll since do it,” he said.
“There is a responsibility among the openers what you’ve to take chance. If I bat after six over, my target will then be to enlarge the innings because six to 15 overs was the most critical part of T20 cricket,” he also said.
“If one can carry on the inning without losing more wickets it’ll be better for us. I’ll try to do it if I can that will be great. What I say was that I’ve to take chance in the initial six overs. If I could cross the six overs then the target will be there to enlarge the innings,” he added.
