Tamim Iqbal amps up preparation for West Indies tour

The Windies held out for a draw against Sri Lanka in the second Test that finished on Monday, 18 June, retaining their 1-0 lead in the series. And their performance has caught the eye of other opponents.

Bangladesh are slated to travel to the Caribbean next, and Tamim Iqbal, the opener, figured he had to work extra hard to be prepared for the tour. While most of his team-mates were with their families for the festive season, he put in added hours in practice.

“It’s quite obvious that when the team is doing well, the players are also confident, but I felt after watching their games [the Windies Tests v Sri Lanka] that however prepared I thought I was, it’s not enough.

“I thought I should prepare myself more and that was the reason I am doing the extra work. I always believe that I can’t guarantee success and scoring runs, but if I can prepare myself a 100%, the job gets easier.

“Even if I fail, I can tell myself that I have tried my best but it didn’t happen. It’s important to prepare well to play well,” Iqbal told presspersons.

Iqbal spent time identifying areas to work on. He stressed on the need to play positively against the Windies pacers, who have done well against Sri Lanka.

"Just because it's a grassy wicket, we can't go with the mindset that we have to survive, because then it will be more difficult. I think we have to play with a positive attitude and leaving the ball will be the key along with batting for longer periods," he said.

"Whenever you have the opportunity to score runs you have to, and I think it helps the batsman to get refreshed. So I think it will be a mix of both [caution and aggression]."

Bangladesh, under new coach Steve Rhodes, will gather in Mirpur on 20 June before leaving for the Caribbean on 23 June for the two-Test series beginning in Antigua on 4 July.

The teams will then face each other in three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals.