Tamim overcomes ‘nerves’ to trump ‘struggling’ Shakib

Tamim Iqbal, back in competitive cricket after almost four months, set the tone for Fortune Barishal's win over Rangpur Riders with an attacking and stroke-filled 35 off 24 in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Saturday. 

It was a highly anticipated clash between two strong sides on paper, more so because Tamim's team was up against the team that featured his long-time teammate and frenemy Shakib Al Hasan. 

Shakib reportedly struggled with poor eyesight throughout the World Cup last year and recently consulted a doctor in the UK for the same. The southpaw got out early, scoring just two off three deliveries. 

Although Shakib returned brilliant figures of 4-0-16-2, he could not prevent his team from the defeat. On top of that, he was jeered by the crowd when he came into the attack and fielded close to the boundary rope.

In the post-match press conference, Rangpur captain Nurul Hasan admitted that Shakib is still "struggling" with his eyesight. 

On the other hand, there was no sign of struggle as far as Tamim was concerned. The former Bangladesh captain, in action for the first time after his much-talked about snub from the World Cup squad, was into his elements soon.

He started off with three boundaries off new-ball specialist Azmatullah Omarzai and gave his team a perfect start.

"I was away from action [for a long time] and started batting just a couple of weeks ago. But I felt good in the training sessions but there are always nerves in the game," Tamim said after the match. 

After the high-profile clash, Tamim was inevitably asked multiple times about Shakib. The southpaw at one staged wished well for Shakib, saying "I'm sure he will do well for his team", but was visibly angry after another question in the press conference about the all-rounder. 

"I haven't met either of them [Shakib and Mashrafe Mortaza] yet but when I meet them obviously, we will talk. Let's see," Tamim said on Thursday. 

There was a customary handshake between Tamim and Shakib after the match on Saturday but the former confirmed that they did not have a conversation, contrary to his previous statement. 

Interestingly, Tamim is leading Fortune Barishal, a team led by Shakib in the last season of the BPL. 

Fans gathered at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur in large numbers and there were a lot of people outside the ground in search of tickets even when the first innings was almost over.

Tamim, who last played for Bangladesh in September last year, is yet to reveal his decision on his national-team future but said on Saturday that he would make an announcement soon.

Tamim took more questions than his opposite number Nurul in the press conference and talked about various issues like the standard of the tournament. He stated that the tournament is "not too bad" as it is an important tournament for the local players. He also pointed out that the coverage is better this year with better commentators. 

Barishal will be back in action on Monday while Rangpur will try to notch up their first win the next day.