‘Will feel special if the team wins or plays well’
All eyes will be on Lasith Malinga when the first of a three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka takes place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today as it will be the legendary fast bowler's last ever match in the format.
Although Bangladesh stand-in captain Tamim Iqbal wished Malinga good luck ahead of the match, the Tigers' 14th ODI captain intends to give no quarter against Sri Lanka.
"Tomorrow [today] is a special match for him [Malinga]. And one thing for sure is that when we will play against him, we won't keep in mind that it's his last match and we will try to make it as tough for him as possible. We will try to win the match for Bangladesh cricket. It's really amazing the things he achieved for Sri Lanka cricket and for the whole world. Best wishes to him from me and my teammates. I heard he will continue in the T20 cricket. I want to wish him good luck for that but not much for tomorrow's match," Tamim told reporters ahead of the first ODI in Colombo yesterday.
Tamim will enter a new era of his career when he leads the Tigers' one-day side for the first time after being appointed as captain in the last moment. The decision to have Tamim skipper the side came after regular captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza incurred a hamstring injury and the dashing opener informed that his main aim today will be to start the first session well and move forward one step at a time.
"At the moment, our first target is to start the first session well. I always think and say this all the time, it is a problem if we start focusing on the finishing line before the starting line. Tomorrow [today] we have to start well, regardless of whether we bowl or bat first. And of course, our main target will be to win the match. We want to move forward one step at a time," Tamim told the media." We want to go a very long way. I am sure if you ask their captain [Dimuth Karunaratne], he will also say that he wants to win this series. I also want to win the series. You have to do small things properly and it will start from the first ball of the match. It does not matter whether we bat or bowl first."
According to Tamim the success of a captain depends on how well the other ten members of a team perform and that is why he expects his teammates to step up and make a collective approach.
"I am not thinking about my debut as the captain of the Bangladesh team but it feels good to hear after being mention by you [journalists]. The important thing for me is how I start. These things give satisfaction when the team does well. If we win tomorrow [today] or the team plays well then I will feel special as a captain. I believe if the rest of the 10 players play well then it will prove how someone does as a captain," he said.
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