ICC World Cup 2019 | Mashrafe Mortaza deserves much more respect than what he is receiving, says Tamim Iqbal
Bangladesh veteran batsman Tamim Iqbal has stated that skipper Mashrafe Mortaza had a big role in making the team the force that it is today and he is now unfairly being criticized for just a few subpar performances. Iqbal went on to talk about the team’s batting strategies for their upcoming match.
Having played his first World Cup as long back as 16 years ago when he made his tournament debut against Canada in a match which his country lost by 90 runs, Mashrafe Mortaza has seen the rise of The Tigers from very close quarters. Be it defeating India for the very first time, before repeating the feat in a World Cup match, reaching the Champions Trophy semi-finals or finally winning a trophy after reaching 6 finals, Mortaza has been part of some important milestones for the country. However, his recent form had been called into question, with him having been only able to take one wicket so far in the tournament.
"It is important to see who is (criticizing) him. People should think what he has done for the (development) of cricket during the last 15-16 years for two minutes before putting up their opinion,” opener Tamim Iqbal said to reporters while defending the skipper, reported Cricbuzz.
Mortaza has had a few niggles along the way, with some even restricting him from bowling his full spell during the warm-up matches too. However, with 212 One Day International caps, including 80 as the national team's captain, if there is one Bangladesh player that certainly knows how to go in prepared for a tournament with as big a magnitude as the upcoming World Cup, it is him.
"If we call him unfit than he is unfit for the last 10 years because his two legs were not totally fine during this time frame. Now we are taking it differently when something is going wrong. We are talking about someone who had literally brought us here. He deserves much more respect than what he is receiving. Many players go through ups and downs in such a mega event. Even the champion team doesn't have eleven performing players in their squad. His leadership and being in the team are very important for other players," Iqbal said of him on Tuesday.
The Tigers have not had a very satisfactory tournament so far, cumulating only three points from four matches even though they had been pipped to be the dark horses of the tournament. However, they still have a good enough chance for qualifying to the next round and the quest to secure a top-four spot will continue against West Indies tomorrow, whose fast bowlers have been in absolutely phenomenal form.
The Carribean had crippled the Pakistan batting line-up, bowling them out for 105 and had also managed to dominate the Australian top order until a couple of good innings took the match away from them. Their lethal brand of bowling marked by a tendency to bowl fierce bouncers has drawn comparison from the legendary bowling attacks of the country from the 70s and the 80s. However, Iqbal feels they are in a position to be able to overcome the hurdle.
"We normally try to simulate in the nets what our opponents are likely to do. They usually target us with the short ball but they do the same against all sides in the first ten to 15 overs. They also give run-scoring opportunities. We have to prepare for both, that's why we are working hard in practice. We want to make sure it is not a surprise for us. We have an idea about their batsmen and bowlers, but I have noticed their different planning in the World Cup. It is not the same thing that we faced in Ireland or West Indies. They are focusing heavily on the short ball, but if you handle it well, there'll be opportunities to score runs," he concluded.