Tamim Iqbal has said that he would want his team to focus and build on the ‘Bangladeshi brand of cricket’ rather than follow anyone else as the left-handed batsman is set to lead the Tigers in the ODI series against West Indies starting tomorrow.
After having led Bangladesh sporadically on a few occasions previously, the Tamim was named as the long-term skipper of the ODI team when Mashrafe Bin Mortaza played his last match as captain during the home series against Zimbabwe in March last year.
However, 31-year-old had to wait 10 months to realise his dream of leading the team, owing to the break due to the pandemic. Now that the time has come, Tamim wants to see Bangladesh grow and prosper under his leadership.
“What I always prioritise is developing Bangladeshi brand of cricket. Every country has its own style. So I don’t think we should follow anyone else. We are not as (physically) strong as Windies, neither as well-built (physically) as the Australians. But we do have advantages which the other teams don’t have,” Tamim said during a virtual pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
While the left-hander did not mention what he specifically meant by Bangladeshi brand of cricket, he said he would like his team to ‘focus on their strengths.’
“Style of captaincy will develop with time. With time, it will be clear to myself and other people which direction I am going….There will be pressure in international cricket, but the important thing is how you cope up with the pressure,” Tamim said.
Tamim also said that it is of paramount importance to make a good start against the visitors, not thinking about their perceived weaknesses and take all the matches running up to the World Cup in 2023 with equal importance.
