Bangladesh can beat any team, says Tamim after ODI series win over South Africa

Beating the fourth-ranked South Africa to a series win is a massive achievement for Bangladesh cricket, says Tamim Iqbal.

But the aggressive opener believes the Tigers are capable of beating any major team in international cricket.
 
Chasing 170, they created history with a resounding 9-wicket win in the match in Chittagong on Wednesday to clinch the first-ever ODI series against the game’s big boys.
 
After easily losing the first ODI by 8 wickets, the Tigers fought back convincingly in the second ODI and levelled the series.
 
This comes after they had whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 and won against India 2-1.
 
Tamim strung together a record 154-run partnership with his junior opening partner and Man-of-the-Match Soumya Sarkar (90 off 75 balls).
 
Tamim’s 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 century partnership had cemented the easy win with 13.5 overs to go.
 
Tamim after the match told reporters, “Beating South Africa... this is a huge moment for Bangladesh’s cricket. Our bowlers have bowled brilliantly. Soumya’s batting was extraordinary.
 
“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 of the world,” he said.
 
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.