Tamim calls for patience in bid to change fortunes
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal said on Tuesday (August 29) called for patience as he feels the fortune of the game can turn due to the unpredictability of the wicket. Australian opener David Warner and Steven Smith helped the tourists recover from a difficult position as they were 109-2 when the stumps were drawn.
The visitors need 156 more runs to keep their 100 percent winning record against Bangladesh in Test cricket though Tamim believes that it might just not turn out to be the case.
"We need to hold on to our patience," Tamim told reporters at the conclusion of the day's play. "It is very unpredictable and things can change pretty quickly.
"Although it might look not a very healthy total on the board but if we can bowl in the right areas tomorrow that we failed to do today we still do have a chance. It can do a lot of things and you have seen that some quick wickets can fall pretty quickly after a partnership is broken," he pointed out.
Bangladesh were placed in a pretty comfortable position at one stage but Nathan Lyon's six-fer changed things around. The off-spinner appeared to be unplayable as he received a substantial amount of turn and bounce and though the wicket turned to be getting better in the evening, Tamim had a different opinion.
"Even if we don't get wickets we need to carry on bowling dot balls as it will create pressure," said Tamim.
"Yesterday if the lead was around 260 runs we would have been happy and today we had the chance to take over 300 runs. But still we can make a game out of it."
However, before blaming the wicket for the failure of their batsmen, Tamim called for similar wickets to be presented in domestic cricket in order to get used to it.
"My question is how many times do we play in these sorts of wicket?" asked Tamim. "In the domestic circuit we play in grass laden wicket while we play international cricket in this sort of wicket," he said.
"This theory must change as we play in grassy wickets abroad as we make a tour in a year," he said. "If we want to play international cricket in this wicket we need to play domestic cricket in similar wicket. If not in all venues but at least in one or two grounds."
Tamim also had no regrets missing out on his century and insisted it was bad luck that he could not reach the three digit mark.
"I don't think anyone can have a question on my dismissal as it was unplayable and out of my control," said Tamim who was 22 runs shy from reaching his ninth Test hundred.
Source: Cricbuzz
