'2017 was good for me, mixed for team'

Tamim Iqbal has matured over the past 10 years since making his international debut in 2007, and 2017 proved to be a crucial year for the left-hander when it came to his contributions to the Tigers.

The highest run-getter for Bangladesh in all the three formats scored 1,286 runs in 2017 and hit two hundreds and nine fifties. He also finished as Bangladesh's highest run-scorer in ODIs, smashing 646 runs in 11 innings at an average of 64.60. Of his two ODI hundreds, the 128-run knock against England in the ICC Champions Trophy was his best.

Tamim, who had been suffering from an allergic reaction after a hair treatment, joined the ongoing training camp in Mirpur yesterday. The southpaw said he was satisfied by his performance in 2017.

"2017 has been good for me, especially in ODIs. And I will try to stretch this form for as long as possible. I will try to continue with the same mentality and dedication in the coming series in the coming years," Tamim told reporters at the BCB Academy ground in Mirpur yesterday.

However Tamim said there was a lot of room to improve as a team over the coming year, but overall he stressed the positive achievements of the Bangladesh team.

"We did have a few achievements last year [2017] but we could have done better. We drew the series in Sri Lanka which we could have won. There were a few small mistakes and also a few good results as well such as beating New Zealand in the Champions Trophy along with the wins against Ireland and New Zealand in the tri-series. We had a good series in Sri Lanka and overall it was positive and I hope that we can play better cricket compared to this year in the coming year," he added.

Bangladesh have never won a tri-series before so the Tigers will be hoping for a small slice of history in the new year, which they begin with a tri-nation series comprising of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe aside from the hosts.

Tamim believed it would be a great opportunity to clinch the series as they know the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents very well.

However, their opponents will also know them well as they both have former Bangladesh coaches in their ranks.

Chandika Hathurusingha left the Bangladesh job after the South Africa series and  has taken over at Sri Lanka, while Zimbabwe will be backed by Heath Streak's experience from his time as the Tigers' bowling coach. That will certainly add a bit more spice to an already exciting series.

"If we think about this then it's a big factor as they worked with Bangladesh for three-four years but if we don't think then it's not going to be a big issue. At the end of the day you can give the game plan but if you are not able to execute that on the field then there is no benefit. If we are able to execute our own plan then we will definitely get the result," Tamim concluded.