ZCZC
BSP-22
CRICKET-NAIM-FEET-GROUND
Young Naim keeps hit feet on ground
NAGPUR, Nov 11, 2019 (BSS)- Mohammad Naim Sheikh was reluctant to let him
occupied by the all praises after his stellar performance in three-match T20
series against India as he vowed to work harder to keep up his consistency.
Naim is the highest scorer in the three-match series scoring 143 runs at
an average of 47.66 to repay the faith of the national selectors, who picked
him after Tamim Iqbal ruled himself out from the tour.
Naim who scored 26 and 36 runs in the first two matches, struck a
scintillating 48 ball-81, studded by 10 fours and two six but it went in vain
as the lower middle order failed to exploit the platform laid by the
youngster along Mohammad Mithun putting up highest T-20 partnership against
India as the duo added 98 runs for the third wicket.
“If we could add another partnership we could have won the match,” Naim
said after the match adding that his feet is firmly grounded as he is not
ready to lose his head after just beginning his career.
“I am not looking too far ahead. The board president [Nazmul Hasan]
congratulated me while Harbhajan Singh told me that if I was there in the
wicket we could have win the match. Hearing all these thing is inspiring but
at the same time it does not make me very excited as we did not win the
match,” he said.
Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah said they are disappointed that they could
not win the match for Naim as he believes his consistency level is quite
amazing particularly when it is hard to deliver regularly in T20 cricket.
“I am feeling bad that, we could not finish it, middle order failed.
That’s why I have more regret because he batted so well,” said Mahmudullah.
“So, at least for him, if we could finish well, he could have got some
credit for his hard work,” he said.
“Naim scored around 30 everyday but today he scored 80. He performed
consistently. It’s very hard to be consistent in T20 format. You can be
consistent in Test and one-day matches but it’s really hard in T20,” he said.
Naim was included in the last Twenty20 tri-nation at home when Tigers
hosted Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in the tri-nation tournament but didn’t get
any opportunity to play the match.
He hogged the spotlight in the last Dhaka Premier League when Naim became
the second highest scorer in the traditional Dhaka club-based tournament.
He scored 807 runs in 16 matches that included three centuries and five
50s, averaging 53.80 runs, and finally he got into the selectors radar.
Naim scored regularly after he was introduced in the A team and in
emerging side after nurturing him in the High-Performance unit for quite some
time that prompted the selector to try him at the biggest stage.
BSS/SMP/SSS/1855 hrs