Bangladesh's newly-appointed ODI captain Tamim Iqbal, who is yet to take the Tigers onto the field due to the coronavirus pandemic halting all sports activities locally and worldwide, said that he was not someone who will 'make a lot of promises before I've done anything.' He maintained that his own performances will help him but was looking to keep batting duties and captaincy separate.

Tamim gave an exclusive interview to The Daily Star yesterday and he talked about various issues regarding his career and on taking over the captaincy of the Tigers. While captaincy will be a tough challenge, he reiterated that his own performances will make things easier for him.

'The biggest thing is that half of the captain's task becomes easier when he is performing. Though I have not captained Bangladesh yet [after getting the appointment].

Tamim had recently captained the ODI side in their ODI tour of Sri Lanka following the World Cup in England as regular captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was forced out of the series with an injury. Tamim's own form from the World Cup in England had played on his mind. He himself said yesterday that he was too eager to get back among the runs and 'overtried'. His performances in Sri Lanka was not up to his expectations.

He was however hopeful that captaincy in itself will not affect how he bats. "The thing is, when I am batting, I am batting as an individual. The captain is not the one batting. It doesn't work that way in mind and I think it's best when it doesn't. I will bat the same way I am doing now. When I have finished batting then the work [of captaincy] starts for real.

"I am hoping for a good start but I am not someone who makes a lot of promises before I have done it. I won't say that 'I want to take Bangladesh in top five' and things like that. I will try my best and the matches would make that clear," he said.