Tamim brimming with confidence

It is never ideal to start a series with a defeat; it is something every team wants to avoid. Had the Tigers won even one of the T20Is, the confidence levels in the team would have been very high ahead of the three-match ODI series which begins in Mirpur tomorrow. While Tamim Iqbal admitted to the above, he remained confident that the Tigers would do better in the ODIs, which he said is a different game altogether.

"In the past year, the players have been reading ODIs much better and that's the reason I am sure that we will get more success in this field. So as a unit we are obviously confident. You can't lose all your confidence because of one or two defeats. When it comes to ODIs, we are a lot more confident unit and we will only grow in confidence," said Tamim while talking to reporters before practice at Mirpur yesterday.

The one-day circuit seems to be a comfort zone for the Tigers; especially their sparkling performances since the World Cup enhanced their reputation. But while Tamim shied away from saying that, he reiterated his side's confidence in the format.

"It's not a comfort zone, but we are definitely a very confident side in the one-dayers," said Tamim.

However, the successes against Pakistan and India gave Tamim the belief that his side could repeat the act against South Africa.

"India and Pakistan, in my opinion, are stronger than South Africa in the subcontinent. There is no doubt that they [South Africa] are a very strong, professional unit. That is reflected in their ranking [number 4 in ODIs]. Their bowling attack and batsmen are really good.

"I think we have to do the same amount of work that we did against India and Pakistan to beat them. It's not like we have to do something extra to beat them, but it's also not that we can win easily; nothing like that. I think they are equally good

and their ranking proves that," observed the experienced

campaigner.

Despite the South African spinners' success in the T20 series, Tamim rated his side's spin attack more highly.

"I still believe and I will always maintain that our spinners are better than theirs on any day. Their spinners -- Imran Tahir and those who played the T20s -- are good, but if you ask me to compare then I will place our spinners 5-6 spots higher. This is my belief. For instance, look at Shakib Al Hasan, he is the top all-rounder in the world. He is also among the top ten ODI bowlers [number 8]," said a confident Tamim.

Tamim said that if a player like AB de Villiers is missing from any team -- be it Australia or Bangladesh -- then it is a plus point for the opponents. He also said that it would not be easy for the Proteas to adjust to the new ODI rules in their first game.