ICC World Twenty20 Their T20 with media

Given their reticence, it is uncommon for any of the national cricketers to speak with the reporters so when the entire national cricket team turned up to face the media yesterday, it yielded interesting results for both parties.

The occasion was the ICC World Twenty20 for which the Bangladesh team will take off for London on May 23, and a few of the team members are new to the national fold and absolutely raw when it comes to facing the media. Remarkably, even the more experienced ones find talking to the media troublesome but then there are a few who talk openly and eloquently enough to sound reasonable.

To the surprise of many, the introverted Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim delighted the journalists with their wise replies. The two BKSP lads have come a long way from the days when they were said to be difficult with the media. "We have specific goals for the team like starting well and how to finish an innings but if we can't fulfil them, we will think differently," said the world's No. 1 ODI all-rounder. Mushfiqur was bold enough to suggest that he wasn't happy with the practice in Dhaka but reminded everyone that their first match opponents should remember the Tigers. "India are a big team and probably the favourites but for what happened in 2007 [World Cup in West Indies], they will keep us on mind," said the baby-faced wicketkeeper.

Among the new boys, Mohammad Mithun seemed confident enough but for Shamsur Rahman and Rubel Hossain, it was nothing short of an ordeal. The same goes for some of the older boys in the group who bank on obvious lines even when pressed with a difficult question. They would merely mention their targets, an obvious question, and fend off the harder ones with some difficulty. 'I will try to do well' is a favourite for this shy lot while some simply inform what they are, a batting or bowling all-rounder.

This sort is a nightmare for the journalists who always stay in the lookout for stories with unique angles. Yesterday it was all going downhill until Tamim Iqbal, Shahadat Hossain and to some extent Nayeem Islam came to the rescue.

"Look, if I bowl at the same pace Yusuf Pathan will send me out of the ground. But not me, he will dispatch my ball!" quipped the easy-going Shahadat who informed that he himself couldn't hit the ball a long way.

Tamim's little quip in third person could be taken as a slight sense of arrogance but it's quickly covered by his witty persona. "Nobody knew Tamim, but Tamim also didn't know Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma," jibed the left-hander when asked about the loss of his surprise factor.

But before the likes of Tamim, Shahadat, Shakib and Mushfiqur got to the dais, their teammate Nayeem Islam turned heads with his icy counter when asked about concerns with his strike-rate. Nayeem's outburst stunned many who know him as a quiet chap.

Coach Jamie Siddons however believed that some of the new boys find it difficult to cope with the pressures of media and officials when they play at home. "I think they are in some pressure when they play at home with the media around but look how Tamim (Iqbal) and Shakib (Al Hasan) have managed everything," said Siddons.