Tamim Iqbal is a man in form. After narrowly missing out on centuries in both the games of the tri-nation, he was asked by the media about his knocks and his lack of luck in reaching the three figures.

The dashing opener then stated that he was happy with the way he paced the innings and also believes that he didn’t throw his wicket away.

‘Not unlucky [to miss out on a century] and I am also glad that I didn’t throw away my wicket. I started slowly and I waited for the time. When the time came, I capitalized [by] targeting one bowler. I thought I paced my innings pretty well.

‘But unfortunately had a decent bowl, it was a good ball [the one that got me out].

He was then asked about the team selection for the next two games and whether the bench players will get a chance as the Tigers are already in the final.

‘I’m not in a position to speak about that [team selection] because it depends on the selectors, captain [and the] coaches. I think that the bench players are also capable of coming up with good performance and will do so if given the chance.’

The turnout for the matches in the tri-nation has been quite low and Tamim Iqbal agreed to it. He, however, also admitted that the second game had quite a lot of supporters cheering from the stadium.

‘I think that the first match [against Zimbabwe] had a little less crowd, but in there was a good turnout in the second match [against Sri Lanka]. I think that the expectations of the fans have increased. They expected us to win against Zimbabwe or any other team.

‘As a cricketer, it is always inspiring [to play around a large crowd]. The likes of me, Shakib and some others have been playing cricket for around 10 years, but there are players in the team now that are young and inexperienced.

‘For them, playing around big crowds is a challenge. So we always hope that there is a large crowd.’

Bangladesh are already in the final after winning their first two games with bonus points. They are now awaiting their opponents in the ultimate game of the series and Tamim Iqbal has no preferences.

‘I don’t have a preference for either Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka. Whichever team comes in the final, we will have to play well.

The number 3 position was a very problematic one for the Tigers as they didn’t have a batsman set for it. However, Shakib Al Hasan seem to have made that position his own now with two good performances and Tamim believes that he is ‘playing well.’

’It is a new challenge for him [to play at number 3] and he is playing well. Whoever is on the strike—be it me or Shakib—try to fulfil our duties.’

Tamim Iqbal no longer plays recklessly like he once used to. Indeed, according to him, he takes his time to settle down and then attempt to make a big score.

‘I always target to play 30-40 balls to settle down and then make a big score.  No matter what position a batsman plays, the first 20 balls are always the hardest. That’s why I try to handle the first 20-30 balls well. After that, I try to play a big innings.’

When asked about complacency after already booking a place in the final, he said: ‘I don’t think that any of us are complacent. We might have won our first two games and can now lose our next ones [without repercussions], but I don’t see it [complacency].

‘We may already be in the final, but for us every match is important.’

He was then asked about Abul Hasan Raju and Mohammad Mithun and their place in the final XI in the next two games. He, however, maintained that “the selection is not in his hands.”

Tamim has been in great form for the last three years, but he played down his achievements and stated that keeping up the goof work is what he tries to do.

‘I don’t think I have achieved anything. There is no scope of a moment’s relaxation while batting. I believe that cricket is a sport where if one gives their 100%, something will be gotten in return.’

In response to the lack Bangladeshi players in the ICC awards for the year, Tamim said: ‘We have to play really, really well to be win such awards. The ones that got the awards deserve it. I am not saying that Shakib and Mushfiqur are not deserving, they are.

‘Indeed, if we play well in the upcoming years, we will get the recognition.’

Bangladesh’s tour of South Africa was a disastrous one as the Tigers failed to win a single game on South African soil. Tamim, meanwhile, stated that the changes seen in the pacers this tri-nation should be credited to coaching staff.

‘The coaching staff deserves credit [for our performances in the tri-nation]. In the last 3-4 years, I haven’t seen the pacers bowl as much as they have had to in the last one-and-a-half month. They are working very hard.’

Speaking about his personal achievement of scoring 11000 runs in international cricket, he said: ‘It feels good. At one point, Bangladeshi players didn’t have such achievements, but we were new to the international scene back then and were learning.