"Should've scored 270 or 280 from the position we were in" - Tamim Iqbal despite beating England in 3rd ODI
Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal felt they delivered an underwhelming batting performance in the third ODI against England despite preventing a series sweep. While the veteran opener was pleased with the win, he thinks the batters failed to provide a fine flourish in the end.
After losing the first two ODIs, Bangladesh pulled one back in Chattogram as they won by 50 runs while defending 246. All-rounder Shakib al Hasan played a significant role as he top-scored with 75 and took four wickets.
Modhumoti Bank Limited ODI Series: Bangladesh vs England | 3rd ODI
Winning moments
#BCB | #Cricket | #BANvENG https://t.co/USJVpX5UXc
Speaking to reporters after the third ODI, Tamim Iqbal reckoned Bangladesh have plenty of room for improvement despite the victory and felt they should have set England about 270-280 to win.
As quoted by Cricbuzz, the 33-year-old said:
"I think I've said this many times that I take pride in our ODI team, especially when we are playing at home. Happy that we finished well but disappointed that we lost the series. We always say small things matter. In the first game, we were 104 for 3 and we ended up scoring 209. Even today we should've scored 270 or 280 from the position we were in. But we didn't finish well. There are a lot of things to work on and get better."
Further reflecting on the win, Tamim Iqbal stated that a clump of wickets in the middle and the ball spinning big during the evening helped the team.
"We lost a couple of wickets in the middle and that put us back. Whatever you have on the board, you got to go and fight for it. We kept on fighting for it. Luckily, we got a few wickets back to back, and that helped us. At some point in the evening, the ball started to spin a little and that also helped us."
The visitors started well in pursuit of 247 as Phil Salt and Jason Roy added 54 for the opening wicket. The likes of James Vince, Sam Curran, and Jos Buttler got starts, but could not convert them to big scores.
"I think he is mentally very strong" - Tamim Iqbal on Shakib al Hasan
Tamim Iqbal acknowledged Shakib's all-round performance, saying that Bangladesh are immensely blessed to have a multi-faceted cricketer like him.
"I think he is mentally very strong. Most of the times you will see when he is under pressure he will come with similar performances. In the past, he has done it. He has very good skills as well to back it. Not many people are as blessed as him who bowls 10 overs and bats the way he bats. I think, he utilizes both of them very well."
Modhumoti Bank Limited ODI Series: Bangladesh vs England: 3rd ODI
Bangladesh vs England
Player of the Match & Tiger of the Match:
Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh 75 (71) Runs & 4(35) wickets
#BCB | #Cricket | #BANvENG https://t.co/7GkUyN9iab
Both teams will face-off against each other in the three-game T20 series, starting Thursday (March 9).