Bangladesh ODI Skipper Tamim Iqbal Requests For Time In His New Full-Time Role

Bangladesh cricket team has witnessed plenty of changes with regards to captaincy. The Test and T20 captaincy had seen changes quite frequently; however, Mashrafe Mortaza kept his position as the skipper in the ODI side. The veteran recently stepped down from the spot that paved the way for Tamim Iqbal to take over as captain. And predictably, the opening batsman has requested for time to make a difference in their fortunes.

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Mashrafe Mortaza stepped down from captaincy last week at the conclusion of the ODI series against Zimbabwe. The medium-pace bowler is the most successful captain for the Tigers, having led them to 50 wins from 88 ODI fixtures. Under him, Bangladesh transformed itself into a vastly competitive outfit.

Following his appointment as the leader, Iqbal requested the reporters in Dhaka and fans to persist and promised to do everything in the best interest of the team. He further said that it’s challenging to fill the void Mashrafe left since the nation achieved plenty under him; thus, it would take time for him to go up to his level.

“You have to keep patient. Our fans also have to keep patient. I will try to do whatever it takes for the best interest of the team. I am taking over from someone — it’s tough to go to his level straight away. I know it very well. He led us for so many years. We achieved many things under him. It will be unfair if you expect me to go to his level.” Tamim said as quoted by News 18.com

Tamim promises to step aside if he is not able to inspire the side in the next six months:

The 30-year old also pledged that if in the upcoming six months or a year he isn’t able to bring positivity into the side, Tamim would step down as the leader. At the same time, the opener conceded that in case the team does well, he would start thinking about the World Cup 2023.

“If in six months, one year or one-and-a-half years I cannot do anything for the team I will not keep the captaincy. If the team does well, I do well, I will start thinking of 2023. At the moment my concentration is on doing a few things right.” he added further.

Tamim Iqbal served as the captain of Bangladesh in 2019 against Sri Lanka in their three-match ODI series. However, under his watch, the tourists lost all three games. His tenure as a full-time leader starts with the one-off ODI against Pakistan on the 1st of April.

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