To overcome his long-standing batting issues, Bangladesh’s premier opener Tamim Iqbal has now become the go-to mentor for Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Aiming to return to the T20 squad through the BPL, Shanto took special tips from Tamim during a session at the Mirpur Indoor facility on Wednesday morning. Shanto said that he found solutions in this session to problems he had been struggling with for the past year.
He said, “I had a wonderful session with Tamim bhai. Thank you so much, bhai, for your valuable time, guidance, and the wonderful support.” It was at Shanto’s request that Tamim rushed to the indoor practice session that day.
Speaking to the media, the Bangladesh Test captain said, “I personally called him. I needed some batting advice on a few issues. We discussed some technical aspects as well as game sense. I personally phoned Tamim Iqbal and invited him, and he came very gladly. I think it was a very good thing for me. I consider myself fortunate that despite being so busy, he came and spent a long time with me. I was able to fully work on the things I wanted to.”
Explaining why he sought Tamim’s help, Shanto said, “First of all, for the area I worked on, I think he is one of the best in the world for me—not just in Bangladesh. Another reason is that both of us are left-handed batters, and he has been very successful in the area I wanted to work on.”
Shanto has problems against multiple types of deliveries. He often looks vulnerable against incoming balls and also struggles with footwork. Those issues were the main focus of the session. He said, “At one time he also struggled, but later we saw that he overcame those problems. Considering everything, I felt he was the best person to fix this for me. We had a very good discussion yesterday, and I also got the chance to bat a bit. So I hope this will help me in the days ahead.”
Tamim worked with Shanto happily. Shanto added, “I felt that comfort, and I believed I would get the support I needed from him. You all know I always work on my batting with Sohel sir. After discussing with Sohel sir, I then called Tamim bhai. As I said, he came gladly and helped me. I was in my comfort zone and could speak openly. I talked about the problems I was facing. From my side, I can say for sure that I worked very comfortably.”
