"There are many areas we need to work on" - Tamim Iqbal after series win over Sri Lanka
Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal said that his team needs to work on certain areas after losing their third ODI against Sri Lanka. The hosts, however, clinched the series 2-1, having won the first two matches.
The Bangla Tigers slipped in the third and final game of the series, losing by 97 runs at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka on May 28 (Friday).
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Tamim Iqbal echoed what he said he said after the 2nd game.
He said:
"As I said at the end of the last game, we have won the series but I never felt that we played the complete game," Tamim Iqbal said. "Never played to our potential. Lucky that we are on the winning side but there are many areas that we need to seriously work on. They had a very attacking mindset today, and we helped them by bowling lot of short balls, lots of width. When opportunity came, we didn't take our catches. If we had taken those, could have been maybe 30 runs lesser," he continued.
Batting first, Sri Lanka managed to post a healthy 287 runs on the board. Skipper Kushal Perera, who called for more intent after 2nd ODI, led the team from the front with a brilliant century.
Dhananjaya de Silva also made a valuable contribution of 55 to help post a challenging total that proved too big for Tamim Iqbal & Co.
Overdependency on senior cricketers a concern - Tamim Iqbal
Bangladesh got off to a woeful start in their chase but Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain steadied the ship with individual fifties. Pacer Dusmantha Chameera was outstanding with the ball, returning with a five-wicket haul to derail the home side with the last four players failing to cross single digits.
Having lost by 97 runs, Tamim Iqbal urged the youngsters in the team to step up and rally around senior cricketers in upcoming games.
"(Overdependency on seniors) Maybe it is a concern. But I'm someone who always stands with the youngsters because I don't think they aren't trying. Just that if they start scoring, it will be better for the team," Tamim Iqbal added.
Mushfiqur Rahim, who was named the player of the series, hit two match-winning knocks in the first two matches. He finished the series with 237 runs from three games including a century and a fifty.
The 34-year-old cricketer said that he enjoys responsibility, as it brings the best out of him.
'The boys worked really hard for the series. Last few months we haven't played our best cricket but we executed our plans well in the first two games this series. If you play international cricket for 15 years, you need to contribute more and more.
Sri Lanka aren't an easy side to score against, they like to come hard against us, they never give up. I enjoy (the responsibility), whenever there is pressure on me, I like to stay calm. It gives me the urge to do well," Rahim said.
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