Bring it on: Bangladesh can beat any team in the world, says Tamim Iqbal

Beating South Africa has given Bangladesh the confidence that it can win against any top One-Day International (ODI) side, batsman Tamim Iqbal has said. Seventh-ranked Bangladesh triumphed against fourth-placed South Africa 2-1 in a three-match series on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_247681” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Tamim Iqbal. AP[/caption] The aggressive opener also said the series win was a massive achievement for Bangladesh. They are now capable of beating any major team in international cricket, bdnews24.com reported on Thursday. Chasing 170, Bangladesh created history with a resounding nine-wicket win in the third ODI in Chittagong to clinch their first-ever series victory against South Africa. After easily losing the first ODI by eight wickets, the home team fought back convincingly in the second and levelled the series. The win comes after they whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 and won against India 2-1. “Beating South Africa… This is a huge moment for Bangladesh cricket. Our bowlers have bowled brilliantly. Soumya’s batting was extraordinary,” Tamim said after the match on Wednesday, referring to Soumya Sarkar. “The team deserved a good innings from me. That’s why I took time to play the right way. This Bangladesh team have the ability to beat any team in the world.”. Tamim strung together a record 154-run partnership with his junior opening partner and Man-of-the-Match Soumya Sarkar (90 off 75 balls). His 61-run knock off 77 balls was crucial in securing the perfect finish in the rain-scarred match reduced to 40 overs a side at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Their third overall century partnership cemented the easy win with 13.5 overs to go. The left-handed batsman now plans to carry the confidence from the ODIs over to the Test series scheduled to begin on July 21 at the same venue. “Now, we are very confident. I hope we’ll be able to continue this trend in the Tests too. There are lots of areas we need to work on in this format,” Tamim added. IANS