'We don't need to be pushed anymore'
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has said that the national team's thought process with regards to fitness issues has made immense progress over the years.
Speaking to reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday Tamim said that the national players 'don't need to be pushed anymore' when it comes to matters related to fitness.
“We have definitely progressed a lot. There was a time for instance when we had to be pushed to remain fit. But I think a lot has changed now. Today no one needs to say anything to us. We know that if we want to remain fit for long periods of time we need to work hard.
“All the senior and junior players are working hard to become better. I think this is a great change. We follow a different culture in the dressing room when compared to the outside world. Outside the dressing room we may have certain bad habits, but if you want to be in the national team you have to sacrifice a lot and be disciplined,” said Tamim.
“We have managed to grow a disciplined culture here and that has helped bring a big change in Bangladesh's cricket. The cricketers from the past showed us the way and we have managed to grasp on to that opportunity and take it further,” he added.
The left-hander had a brilliant run in 2015. He scored 1201 runs across all the formats and was the highest run-getter for Bangladesh. While there was nothing much that the left-hander had to be disappointed about last year, he did however lament not being able to play more games when in rhythm.
“When a player is in good rhythm, it's best for him to play as many matches as possible. Last year I was in good touch and it would have been better for me had I managed to play a few more games. But then again that's not in my hands. That depends upon the FTP. But I will try to create a similar mindset this year and try to use a similar approach,” explained the opener.
In February next year Tamim will complete ten years in international cricket. It's a feat that he will achieve after his colleagues Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan. While there's no doubt that he has provided commendable service to the national team at the top, he regrets not being able to play as many Tests as he wanted to.
“A cricketer dreams of playing 100 Tests for his country. The players who started playing with me have already played 80 to 90 Tests. I have just played 40. It does feel a little bad. If I had played more Tests I would have had more runs under my belt.
“But then again, as I always say, this is not in our hands. However, we can change the current scenario through our performance. The better we play, the more teams will want to come and play against us,” said Tamim, while adding that the upcoming series against England would be an extremely important one for the Tigers.
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