Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal had come hard at his teammates after a disastrous tour of New Zealand where they could not muster even a single win across the ODI and T20I series. But now as Tamim Iqbal is gearing up for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka, the left-hander has come in support of experienced Mushfiqur Rahim and the dashing duo of Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar.
Tamim has said that dropped catches and missed chances are part of the game and that he and the coach Russell Domingo fully trust Mushfiqur Rahim behind the wickets for Bangladesh. He commended Rahim for serving the team well for the last 13-14 years with the gloves and valued his experience more than the recent failings.
“I am very happy with his wicketkeeping. Chances and dropped catches are part of the game. I know how hard he works, so I have no complaints. The team management, coach and I definitely want him to keep wickets in the three ODIs,” Tamim Iqbal said in a press conference.
“You are talking about some dropped catches but he has done a wonderful job as a wicketkeeper over the last 13-14 years. I have complete trust in him and give him my full support. I think he should continue to keep wickets for Bangladesh."
He also referred to Rahim as a role model of consistent batsmen and suggested the batsmen with ‘tremendous potential’ such as Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar to deliver match-winning performances. Iqbal said that the duo has shown sparks of their potential and now is the time for them to replicate that potential into performances.
"I hope they take the lead. They have a tremendous amount of potential, but they have to deliver big time. We have seen glimpses from Liton and Soumya but if they do well now, it will help the team. They understand they should be more consistent - like Mushfiqur Rahim, for example. If they become consistent, we will be a better ODI team at home and away,” Iqbal said in the post-match conference.
The three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is scheduled to commence on May 23 in Dhaka.