Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has admitted to putting too much pressure on himself to perform, after a string of middling scores in his side’s first three games of the 2019 World Cup.
“I am trying hard, but I hope I don’t try too hard, which probably I am. I hope if I score in one of the next couple of games, I will be up and running,” Tamim told ESPNCricinfo.
Tamim has not been able to push past 25 yet: his first three scores in the tournament read 16, 24 and 19. But with two defeats in three games, a stumbling Bangladesh need Tamim, their leading run-getter in ODIs, to be up and firing.
Tamim admitted to having made ‘bad decisions’ in his first three innings in this World Cup, but was hopeful of a turnaround soon. Bangladesh next face Sri Lanka, who are ranked lower than them on the ODI table, and Tamim hoped to bank on his years of experience of facing top-class attacks to come good.
“As long as I batted [in the first three games], I did well, and then I am making one mistake and getting out. This is cricket, and you have to take it. I hope I take it in a positive way. I know the runs are around the corner. I am capable and I have done it before against the best attacks in the world, and I don’t see why I can’t do it again. And if I can’t, that is also life.”
