Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal spoke about his international cricket career during a press conference on Monday, indicating that he will make a decision about his future in January. The veteran batter was not part of the Bangladesh ODI World Cup squad due to the difference with skipper Shakib Al Hasan and injury issues.
The 34-year-old cricketer expressed the need for clarity, as he has been navigating a complex journey. Initially, he had decided to retire from international cricket but reversed his decision after meeting Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, after returning, he resigned from ODI captaincy, leaving his future in the cricketing arena uncertain as he deliberated on the path ahead.
In a recent media interaction, Tamim Iqbal discussed his future in international cricket. He stated that he would make a decision in the next few months, but would wait for the Bangladesh Cricket Board to decide before finalizing his plans.
“After the World Cup, I felt that there should be a decision about my international future. Throughout my career, I have always kept myself away from indecision, It is important for me and the Bangladesh team that there’s no impact of this in the game.”
“I don’t want to keep things hanging for a few more months. I don’t want to stretch it unnecessarily. After discussing a lot of things with the president and the board, I want to respect their decision and wait till January,” Tamim Iqbal said.
There have been reports of a drastic turn of events involving Tamim Iqbal and captain Shakib Al Hasan. The Bangladesh opener made it clear that he would only be available for the World Cup squad as a partially fit player, and the team management would have to accept that, which was opposed by the Bangladesh skipper.
Tamim Iqbal has been a crucial part of the team since 2007 and has played a significant role in their victories. He is also the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in international cricket. In his career, he has played 243 ODIs and scored 8357 runs at an average of 36.65.
Bangladesh’s ODI World Cup campaign has been a nightmare under sub-continental conditions. They began the competition with six consecutive losses and have only managed to win against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka and the Bangla Tigers will be under a transition face with their experienced players moving out of the game.