WHILE the adulation is not quite on the scale of that reserved for Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar, there is no doubting the hero status afforded Notts' latest overseas capture, Tamim Iqbal, in his home country.
The hard-hitting opener has built up a phenomenal and fanatical following since he burst onto the international scene with 84 on his Bangladesh Test debut against New Zealand in 2008.
Almost 2,000 people 'like' the player's page on cricinfo – almost three times as many as England skipper Andrew Strauss – while those who have put their seal of approval on his official Facebook page are closing in on a staggering 225,000.
On leaving for Nottingham, Tamim was shadowed by a phalanx of photographers and camera crews at Dhaka Airport, making him a genuine celebrity.
All the attention is not without good reason. At just 22, he is seen as the brightest talent in years to emerge from a cricket-mad nation that, as yet, has experienced very little success on the world stage.
In Tests, seen as the ultimate challenge for any player, Tamim has already struck four accomplished centuries and eight fifties in 19 matches for a commendable average of 40.13.
Just as eye-catching is his strike rate during that time of 61.43, underlining his ideology of taking the attack to his opponents.
Of course, with such continued scrutiny comes added pressure to perform; to continue the excellence that gave birth to the interest in the first place.
But that is a burden the left-hander has swiftly learned to deal with in a positive way.
"The pressure is nothing new for me because I am used to it from the following in Bangladesh, which is huge," said Tamim.
"It all depends on your performances and you always know that if you do your job well, then there is nothing to worry about.
"When everyone is looking at your performances all the time, I take that as a good thing because it means you are doing something right.
"It is when people stop looking at you that you need to be concerned, because that is when you are not doing well.
"That is the way I look at it coming to Notts and replacing David Hussey. I will just concentrate on getting my own levels of performance right."
Tamim shot to the attention of the English public last summer when he blasted five half-centuries in six Test innings against Strauss's men, including centuries at Lord's and Old Trafford.
That not only whet his appetite to play more cricket on these shores but also alerted first-class counties of his capabilities.
Notts' director of cricket, Mick Newell, was one of those to take note, even though he had already sounded out Hussey and Adam Voges to fill the two overseas slots in this summer's t20.
But when Hussey was unexpectedly called up for an Australian tour of Sri Lanka, Tamim was seen as the ideal replacement.
He said: "I was very keen to come back over here and play. I've always dreamed of playing county cricket.
"I had a great year in England last year – I see those two centuries against England as the proudest moments of my career so far. And after that, I was hoping I would get the call from an English county.
"I have had to wait a while for that call but now I have and I see this as a great opportunity.
"England has some of the best players, wickets and grounds in the world and Trent Bridge has such great facilities."
Tamim grew up in a sports-crazy family and he experienced the joy of Bangladesh's 1997 ICC Trophy win at first hand, living in the same household as the country's skipper at the time, his uncle Akram Khan.
Brother Nafees has also won international honours and both have been a driving force in his rise to the top.
"My family have always been a massive influence on me because that is what they all love back in Chittagong," said Tamim.
"They understand what this is all about for me. And my uncle and brother were guys who always looked after me in cricket as I grew up."
With attack his first instinct, Tamim believes t20 cricket is ideally suited to his forceful style, particularly with the fielding restrictions in the first six overs.
So while he has yet to get to know his Outlaws colleagues, he is keen to hit the ground running against cross-border rivals the Derbyshire Falcons tonight.
Tamim said: "Every format of the game is a test in its own right and I like playing them all, but in t20, you really get to go for it.
"I'm not looking at any targets in terms of the number of runs I want to score.
"My aim is just to contribute and to help the team continue in the same way as they have been to go top of the table.
"I have heard about the rivalry with Derbyshire, but I will just treat it as another game and try to make an impact on debut."
If Tamim can reproduce his international form in Outlaws' green and gold, he will quickly make himself as popular in the stands of Trent Bridge as on the streets of Chittagong.
