SYLHET, March 2, 2020 (BSS) – Bangladesh batting consultant Neil McKenzie thinks senior batsman Tamim Iqbal puts lot of pressure on himself due to the criticism regarding his batting as the critics love to blast him for his slower approach in the batting.
Of late Tamim’s slower batting, which many ponder, doesn’t suit the modern cricket, was subject to the huge criticism and the opener also seemed to take those criticism such seriously that he even couldn’t play his natural game.
In the first game against Zimbabwe in which Bangladesh won by a record 169-run, Tamim contributed 24 off 43 in a pitch, considered as batting paradise. His slower approach could have affected Bangladesh had Liton Das not amended it with rapid knock.
According to McKenzie, Tamim should have been more proactive in this wicket but he probably couldn’t do that after failing to get some more boundaries.
He said probably Tamim was thinking too much about the criticism that put a lot of pressure on him and affected his batting.
“If you think that he has made a mistake or what you think he knows that before you guys do and he knows his approaches. Tamim should have plucked that yesterday but Tamim puts a lot of pressure on himself, it’s a very easy wicket really a lot and that should make him successful.
“May be he is just trying to loosen up for one or two balls but if he can’t hit one or two more boundaries here, you guys get off his back,” McKenzie said here on Monday.
But the batting consultant doesn’t believe that Tamim adopts slower approach for himself.
“I know he’s just got back. Just look at his record –he is a class player, so day after day [playing slower innings] is a really tough sentence. We know Tamim Iqbal, we know how many runs he’s scored and you know that how quality player he is. He spent a little bit time out of the game but now he looks hungry.”
It is always said that Tamim was given anchor role and that’s why he adopted slower approach to keep his wicket intact. But McKenzie ruled it out, saying that no player is given any specific role.
“We know the game plan, He knows the game plan. We are not school masters here, we don’t tell anybody what to learn, what to do, we give our opinions, our thoughts and our technical advice. It’s up to the player to implement that into his game. We are not talking about younger, talking about senior man.”
“All I think big thing for Tamim, he plays a lot and he knows well what he needs to do. I have been very specific; Tamim and I have a chat. We feel we just need to move on to get more boundaries. But we know what Tamim can do; he got a big hundred in BPL two years ago, what nobody could do. I think a big knock is just around the corner for him.”