Tamim Iqbal soaks in record moment

DHAKA: It took him seven-and-a-half years, but Tamim Iqbal finally got there. The left-handed opener, who made his Test debut against New Zealand in Dunedin in 2008, became Bangladesh's highest run-getter in the game's longest format, surpassing former captain Habibul Bashar's tally of 3026 on Saturday.
Tamim, who needed just seven runs to break the record, made 19 before off-spinner R Ashwin had him stumped by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha."It took me 7-8 years but I played 40 Tests to get there. It would have been great had I achieved this feat in fewer Tests," said Tamim, refusing to go overboard about the record.
Bashar, who is now a national selector, was among the first to congratulate Tamim, who achieved the feat in his 40th Test, 10 fewer than the former skipper. Bashar urged Tamim to target 10,000 runs in Tests.
Referring to the 10,000-run target, Tamim said, "It looks difficult. On an average we play 3-4 Tests per year. It will be difficult not only for me but also for anybody to score 10,000 runs in 60-70 Tests. But if we play 7-8 matches per year, it may be possible, depending on form and fitness."
Tamim, who is also Bangladesh's highest run-getter in ODIs, backed his young team mate Mominul Haque to break his record. "I don't think this will hold. If you see the way Mominul has been playing, and his average, I'm sure he will take 4-5 Tests fewer than me to get to 3000 runs," Tamim pointed out.
He expressed his disappointment at Momiul missing the half-century that would have given the batsman a share of the world record for consecutive fifties in Tests with AB de Villiers. "I don't know how disappointed he is but I personally wanted him to get that half-century. Would have been great if someone from Bangladesh had that record," said Tamim, who, however, took his own dismissal in his stride.
"It was a decent ball. I didn't play a bad shot."