Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has said that he and the team management took into account Tamim Iqbal’s standing in the team when they decided to continue with him in the third ODI
Mohammad Isam in Mirpur19-Jun-2014Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has said that he and the team management took into account Tamim Iqbal’s standing in the team when they decided to continue with him in the third ODI against India.Tamim, the Bangladesh opener, came under scrutiny after yet another failure in the previous game, after which there were some expectations that he might be given a break. Tamim’s top score in the last 15 international innings has been 31, and has scored a duck and four in the two matches in this series. His last ten innings have produced only three scores in double-figures. Not since his 2008-09 slump has Tamim gone through such a long period not scoring a half-century.Bangladesh had Shamsur Rahman in the 15-man squad but never used him. Mominul Haque was dropped for the second and third matches despite having a better year than most out-of-form batsmen in the team, including Tamim, Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah. All three of these players have been consistently given chances.Mushfiqur said that past record is taken into account when making the call. “He [Shamsur Rahman] was here as a back-up opener,” said Mushfiqur. “The team management felt that although Tamim couldn’t perform according to his potential, he can be given another chance. He has been our main batsman in the last couple of years. He was a key player.”It is based on what type of player you are looking to drop. If it is a proven player who has been there for four or five years, you have to see him playing for five, six or ten games. To replace him you will need to develop someone for four to five years.”We all have input in the selection, including the coach and the rest of the team management and of course the selectors. So far I haven’t found anything wrong [with the selections] but hopefully in future we will try to clarify our selections to you.”He has also quashed speculations regarding his future as Bangladesh captain after overseeing nine consecutive ODI losses, which technically ended with the abandoned third ODI against India. Mushfiqur had resigned suddenly after Bangladesh lost the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe last year, before reversing his decision.He said he wouldn’t repeat such an act, but would agree with any decision taken by the BCB. “I felt the decision at that time was a mistake. Those who feel for the team wouldn’t make this sort of mistake again,” he said. “But it is not in my hand, if those above me feel that there is someone better than me in the team and they tell me, then I wouldn’t have a problem leaving the captaincy.”The pitches in the second and third ODI were pacer-friendly and that meant a struggle for both sets of batsmen, but that did not mean it was difficult to chase 100 runs, Mushfiqur said. He said that more practice on such surfaces will make it easier for his batsmen to score on them.”As I said after the last game, we have the ability to chase 100 runs against any team. There is nothing wrong with the wicket or preparation, but we lacked application. If we keep playing on these wickets in domestic cricket, then we can have a better chance against West Indies or in the World Cup.”