Can Tamim rediscover the joy?
He (Tamim) knows his game plans. We are not schoolmasters here. We don't tell anybody what to learn or what to do. We give opinions, thoughts and technical advice, and then it is up to the player to implement it into
his game.
NEIL McKENZIE
BANGLADESH BATTING CONSULTANT
The weather was gloomy and the overcast conditions were favouring the seamers. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were charging in with a deadly combination of pace, swing and bounce, making life hell for the Bangladesh batsman during the ICC Champions Trophy game in 2017 at the Oval.
It was serious business at the flagship event where the likes of Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim had all failed to negotiate the furious fast bowling.
But there was one Bangladesh batsman at the other end who looked totally different. Tamim Iqbal went down the track to Hazlewood, who was bowling at an average speed of over 140 kmph, and hammered a flat-batted slap off a length delivery which zipped past his partner's head for a boundary.
In the very next over the left-hander played a gorgeous straight drive off Starc, which was followed by a powerful square cut for a boundary. From checking the pull shots perfectly along the ground, ensuring they do not fly to the fielder's hands at deep square leg, to watching the ball right till the end, Tamim was coolness personified.
Bangladesh were all out for 182 and only three batsmen managed to reach double figures. Tamim's share was a courageous 95 off 114 balls, which also featured six fours and three sixes.
That Tamim three years back -- the fearless opening batsman with a clear mindset -- is in stark contrast to the one that has been seen recently.
The 30-year-old experienced cricketer at one point had all the Bangladesh records under his belt and had taken himself to a new height as a world-class opening batsman in the four years following a dismal 2015 World Cup.
But in recent times, Tamim seems to be overthinking his batting approach, and the effect of that has been visible since the start of the ICC World Cup in England last summer.
While there are no issues with his technique or ability, there seems to be something that has been stuck in the left hander's mind, and in his past few innings in the limited-overs formats it has reflected badly on his batting.
And so, questions have been raised about whether he has withdrawn too much into a shell and is not able to break the shackles of conservative batting. While the case may be that his role in the side is to anchor the innings and bat deep, but when he adopts the same approach against a rather weak and inexperienced Zimbabwe bowling attack, as he did while scoring 24 off 43 balls in the first ODI on Sunday, it indicates that the player is putting extra pressure on himself. That in turn prevents him from playing his normal game, which is what would serve him and Bangladesh best.
"He knows his game plans. We are not schoolmasters here. We don't tell anybody what to learn or what to do. We give opinions, thoughts and technical advice, and then it is up to the player to implement it into his game," said Bangladesh's batting consultant Neil McKenzie to reporters at the Sylhet International Stadium yesterday. "We are not talking about a young guy. We are talking about a senior man. Believe me, he knows it before you guys or any of us do that he has made a mistake. Tamim puts a lot of pressure on himself. He values his wicket a lot. It is what has made him successful. Maybe it is about trying to loosen him up for one or two balls. If he can get one or two more boundaries, all you guys will get off his back."
Tamim is known as someone who pays great attention to statistics. Even if he scores a hundred today in the second ODI, it will be important that he actually enjoys his game and not get bogged down in the little things, or else things may remain the same in the coming days.