'The type of innings I hadn't imagined myself playing' - Tamim

When Bangladesh began the fourth day in Mirpur, they were in the familiar position of having to claw their way back into the match after having conceded a substantial lead, to New Zealand. In the past, their batting has not quite coped with the challenge, with some dodgy shot selection letting them down.

This time, though, the often-missing backbone was evident. Newcomer Mominul Haque took the headlines with his second successive century and his partnership with the experienced opener Tamim Iqbal helped them wipe out the deficit.

Tamim, whose naturally aggressive batting has let his side down in critical situations before, showed he could graft if his team needed him to, making 70 off 218 deliveries. He cut out the extravagant drives, there was no indiscipline outside the off stump and he hit only four boundaries in his innings.

"We were on the back foot when we started the day so we had planned not to go for high-risk shots," Tamim said. "If I was able to complete the job then I would have been able to do my duty. But I have done a decent job for my team; this is what they hoped for from me.

"Mominul and I batted till tea. The type of innings I played I had not imagined myself playing. Usually when I am on 40-45 I take chances against spinners and reach the milestone. Today I picked singles, milestones weren't on my mind. I batted for my team."

But Tamim did struggle adjusting to this approach, saying that he curbed some of his preferred strokes like the slog sweep. "It is hard of course. I love playing shots. At one stage the offspinner was bowling and there was no deep midwicket; the slog sweep is a favourite shot of mine, but I controlled the urge.

"In Test cricket you won't be able to play your natural game all the time. That was the situation, and maybe today I did the right thing. It feels good."

Despite helping his team out of a tight situation today, there were the familiar questions about a lack of a hundred in more than three years. Tamim wasn't too pleased at the issue cropping up.

"I did not think of any milestones today. This innings was for the team. In the first innings I was disappointed not to get a hundred. But so much has been said about this issue that eventually it is me who is being harmed," he said. You people should understand that. There is a limit to everything, but everyday whenever you meet me I hear 'the century is not happening'. Who doesn't want to score a century? You have to understand that cricket is a mental game. These questions are an extra pressure for me so I would request you not to ask me these kinds of questions."

He had more to say to the media on the topic of his scoring rate as well. "If I play aggressively everyone says you are aggressive, if I play slow everyone says you are slow, so you people tell me what I am supposed to do. This has gone to an extreme now--if I play normally you say I am too aggressive and if I play sedately you say I am slow. What's wrong with you guys? Just let me play my game please. Let me play my game."