'Need to use our heads'

Chittagong Vikings skipper Tamim Iqbal lashed out at his batsmen after their four run defeat to the Khulna Titans at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

A disappointed Tamim sent a stern message to his batsmen and said that they needed to put up smarter displays if they wanted to win matches.

“If we continue playing this way, we will continue losing. If you repeatedly give a batsman a message, more than 20 times, and even then if he doesn't understand that message, then there must be a problem with him.

“He may not have a problem with his skills, but he may have a problem with his head. If you have to feed the idea of playing normal cricket like daal bhaat and then maybe he doesn't deserve to play in this place,” an angry Tamim told reporters during the post match press conference yesterday.

It was unclear who Tamim was referring to, but his entire top order, including him, had given in quite cheaply in yesterday's game. His top five batsmen struggled and were sent back to the pavilion with just 54 runs on the board.

When asked who he was referring to Tamim said: “I don't want to name anyone in particular. I am talking about the general batting of our team.”

“What I am trying to say is that it's not a problem if we lose a game. We may lose many more games ahead, but if you don't follow a plan then that's a problem.

“If you see, at one point all their main bowlers were bowling at the front, which meant that they would be two overs short eventually. But if you get out while attacking the main bowler, then there is no point. If you want to play at this level, you need to use your brain,” added Tamim.

The left-hander was probably referring to the fact that Shafiul Islam and Kevon Cooper, Khulna's two main bowlers, dismissed his top five.

It was in the middle stages that Mohammad Nabi and Chaturanga De Silva managed to get them back in the game with a 41-runs stand in just 4.1 overs. The game would not have been close had these two not attacked the bowlers.

Despite doing well during the difficult phase, the duo failed to take them home in the last over.

“Had we managed to play a bit more smartly, it would have been difficult for Mahmudullah to defend six runs,” said Tamim.