Tanzim says 'no time' to label teams big or small, shrugs off Ashwin’s jibe

Tanzim Hasan Sakib may be calm in conversation, but his wicket celebrations reflect an aggressive edge. After Bangladesh opened their Asia Cup T20 campaign with a seven-wicket win over Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, the pacer offered a sharp reply to critics of the Tigers.

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had suggested India were streets ahead in the Asia Cup, joking about including South Africa or even India's 'A' team. But in the age of social media, such comments quickly reach the players. With the Sri Lanka match looming, Tanzim dismissed the noise:

"Look, you can't stop people from talking… Whether someone said something or not, it doesn't matter. We represent Bangladesh. We've come here with a purpose and we'll play our best.

"Now there's no time to be looking at who's a big team and who's a small team. I don't think that's something to be concerned about," said Tanzim, who took two for 21 against Hong Kong.

Considering recent form and squad depth, many see Afghanistan as favourites to progress into the Super Fours -- some even hail them as Asia's second-best team at present. Tanzim, however, is not buying into that:

"They can make that claim [of being Asia's second-best], but it's not going to be easy -- their game against us won't be easy."