ZCZC
BSP-14
CRICKET-MASHRAFE
Return of Shakib, Tamim a big relief for team: Mashrafe
DHAKA, Dec 8, 2018 (BSS)- Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza said
it will be a big relief for each member of the team with the return of Shakib
Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in the squad ahead of the ODI series against West
Indies.
He was speaking at a pre-match press conference on Saturday at Sher-e-
Bangla National Cricket Stadium at Mirpur.
The Tigers’ skipper said it is a big relief for the team to have those two
back in the side. Presence of Shakib and Tamim in the team is always a big
advantage. The fact is that Tamim played the practice match and made runs is
also good for the team.
Both Shakib and Tamim were Tigers’ best performers during the series
against the West Indies at the Caribbean soil as Bangladesh managed to
recover from a horrifying Test series to clinch the ODI and the T20 series.
Bangladesh team hugely depend on those two stars and Mashrafe reiterated
that coming back from injury is always hard to perform and in Tamim’s case
the team cannot expect him to hit top gear straight away.
Both Shakib and Tamim were injured during the Asia Cup and the Tigers
sorely missed their presence especially since they missed out on the
advantage of being able to build their innings around Tamim, who has had
played the anchor role to perfection before his injury.
Mashrafe said naturally it takes time to perform after returning from
injury so just because Tamim scored a hundred in the practice match, Mashrafe
cannot expect him to be extraordinary in the next match as well. He could
play better than he did or he may not. It takes some time to adjust yourself
after returning from an injury,” Mashrafe said.
The Southpaw opener Tamim was out for two to two-and-a-half months while
star all-rounder Shakib however have made some adjustments after playing two
Test matches. But Tamim might take some time to adjust himself, he added.
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