HomeCricketBangladesh's consistent run-scorer Tamim Iqbal turns 29

Bangladesh’s consistent run-scorer Tamim Iqbal turns 29

- Advertisement -

Truth be told, it’s hard to imagine Bangladesh without Tamim Iqbal. Today, he is their stablemate who seems driven to conquer any steeplechase. The gritty batsman has been around for nearly over a decade and in a period of playing some absorbing cricket, he’s lent his useful presence to uplift the status of a team often rather awkwardly labeled as the “big upset causers.” 
When Bangladesh is so much more than that. Teams today, despite the burgeoning popularity of T20s, are in great need of calm players; someone around whom an entire team can bat.

A calm batsman

He is that bloke who can keep the wits about himself amid a climate of constant pressure, euphoria and uncertainty. Tamim Iqbal with his great match-awareness and silent sense of stoicism is exactly that. It won’t be wrong to quote that he’s the bedrock for Bangladesh’s hope to score runs in immensity.
Yet, being a player who happily puts his team ahead of his personal milestones. Philosophically, in cricketing parlance, it could be shared, Tamim’s on the path of some silent figures of inspiration, quite like a Dravid and Kallis. But also one, who perhaps needs to work doubly hard to make a respectable ODI average of 35, reach in the upper echelons of 40 where he seemingly belongs.
Ever since he debuted in 2007, scoring a quintessential Test fifty against a rigorous bowling-heavy New Zealand, there was that calming presence about the left-hander. There are players who burst with spurts of big hitting.

- Advertisement -

Patience and Panache

Then there are those who prefer to claw back at bowlers, making them play the patient game. Tamim Iqbal does none of this. He simply goes about doing his job in an uncomplicated manner; akin to a torchbearer, whose task is to hold a torch and get in for a long-haul run.
Through great match preparation and focus, Tamim’s uncomplicated approach to batting has articulated in tons of runs- nearly 10,000 of them at the highest level. It has manifested itself through useful match-winning performances, particularly against staunch sub-continental opponents: Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
In Tamim Iqbal, it ought to be said, Bangladesh is blessed to have a fluent run-scorer who’s a throwback to the classic approach of playing the gentleman’s sport; focus hard, accumulate runs with temerity, fight out difficult sessions and offer no lip service to opponents, preferring to answer with the bat. His shots square of the wicket remind fans of the same eye-pleasing beauty that Saeed Anwar brought to the game. It’s emotive and contagious.

Consistent, but Bangladesh needs more from Tamim

Some of his finest ODI performances against handy opponents:

Opposition Matches Runs Highest score 50s 100s Average
England 13 469 128 0 2 36
Pakistan 16 676 132 5 2 45
Sri Lanka 19 643 127 4 2 33.8
New Zealand 19 530  62 5 0 28
Overall 179 6018 132 41 9 35

These might not be mighty numbers that would move you in awe but highlight his importance for a run-hungry Bangladesh.
Having just turned 29, it’s safe to assume, Tamim will walk the long mile. He insists that there’s this burning desire to score runs and improve his average. Even as Bangladesh have been featuring constantly among T20 series, the love for scoring in traditional formats hasn’t escaped his focus.

You understand this isn’t lame overestimation rather a substantial statement that Tamim Iqbal’s recent performances demonstrate. In ODI cricket, he’s been on quite a scoring spree, pounding runs at an average of 46, 45, 64 and 63 respectively from 2015-18. Similarly, in Tests, 8 of his 25 fifties and 4 of his 8 hundreds have come in last 4 years.

Bulwark of Bangladesh’s batting

Cricket has always admired batsmen who exhibit some class and bring about a sense of finesse through their game. Neither wielding a high backlift nor breaking into temperamental bouts, Tamim Iqbal prefers to compete with a quiet surety. It’s the sort of feeling that greets you when you see some of his present contemporaries- Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.

Grace personified

It’s both refreshing especially in the current firebrand template of the sport where emotions run high and indicative of the character of a bloke who prefers to move about silently. Not to mention, determinedly.
Fans are glad to find in Tamim Iqbal a batsman who hates to give away his wicket; someone, who discounting loudness or shenanigans will keep chipping away at the opposition, preferring to up the ante of scoring instead of resorting to cricket’s version of needless babble. The kinds we find Rabada, Warner involved in.
Together with their wicketkeeping batsman Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hassan,  Tamim Iqbal structures a modern-day troika for Bangladesh Cricket that lives by a simple philosophy: compete hard and give it his all. It’s heartening though that the left-hander seems most driven to uphold the dignity of their game. Even his wile detractors wouldn’t care to ignore that during the recent spat with Sri Lanka, it was Tamim who immediately rushed to the scene, doing damage control by spreading his arms around Perera.
Tamim Iqbal is a great sight for world cricket. He gives the sport a reason to celebrate it as the gentleman’s game.

- Advertisement -
Dev Tyagi
Dev Tyagi
Dravid believer, admirer of - the square drive, Drew Barrymore, Germany, Finland, Electric Mobility, simplicity and the power of the written word! Absolutely admire contributing to KyroSports

15 Highly Educated Cricketers Of All Time

Cricket is a game of passion and dedication. A sport in which one involves themselves in camps and practice since early childhood. Due to...

Do we often under-appreciate Andy Flower? What’s his legacy?

There's a hint of sadness in noting that Zimbabwe has never been a dominant power in world cricket. But nothing could be sadder than...

Why are more and more MotoGP riders using the Noson nasal dilator?

Introduction MotoGP riders or athletes are physically fit and healthy individuals and their muscles are continuously functioning and used during the performance. As a fan...

How Come UFC Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears But Boxers Don’t?

The UFC has come a long way since its early days, wherein the fights seemed like modern-day gladiators due to its brutality and inconsistent...

5 spinners who can be India’s potential finger-spinners

The Indian cricket team has always been proud of its ability to produce world-class batsmen and similarly potent spinners. Though in recent times, the...

IPL 2018: The beautiful Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Being seated in the Sawai Mansingh stadium brings a different world, a world of difference away from the palpable excitement of watching truly India’s...

The astonishing decline of Mario Balotelli

There was a time when Mario Balotelli was on top of the world.  The Italian talisman had scored two goals in the Euro 2012 semi-finals,...

Top 5 Left Wingers In The World, Based On 2019-20 Season

Owing to the fact that football has evolved a lot since its inception and the tactics have changed a lot, the role of wingers...

What can be expected from the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Heat in the air and heat inside the car- that's been the story of the Azerbaijan Grand prix. As F1 parks itself at Baku...

How Suresh Raina Batted India Into The Finals of 2011 World Cup

Its been 9 years, since India won the Cricket World Cup defeating Sri Lanka on 2 April, 2011. The images and visuals of...

IPL 2018: The best from the West Indies

When one of nature's treacherous attacks on mankind- earthquakes- strike, their impact is measured on Richter's scale. When West Indians strike in a tournament...

Big change for India Women’s cricket as BCCI looks to finalise bowling coach soon

We are not even at the halfway stage of the 2018 cricketing season. It clearly seems there's no stopping India's women's cricket team. The...

Age Fraud in Indian Cricket: Are players really to be blamed?

There have been times while watching a cricket match when we tend to hear commentators comment on cricketers’ age. We as fans have many...

Ajax XI if they didn’t sell their star players

Based in Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, who incidentally draw their name from the legendary Greek hero of the same name, are the most successful club...

5 famous players to play for both Leeds United and Liverpool

Leeds United are back in the Premier League after 16 years and will play Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday in their very first match...

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -