Former Bangladesh captain announces retirement from international cricket

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket after representing the national team in 387 matches and scoring over 15,000 runs across formats.

“I have been away from international cricket for a long time. That distance will remain. My chapter in international cricket is over. I have been thinking about this for a long time,” Tamim Iqbal posted on his official Facebook account.

With the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 being hosted by Pakistan just around the corner, the former Bangladesh captain said, “Now that a big event like the Champions Trophy is coming up, I do not want to be the focus of anyone’s attention, which could lead to the team losing their focus. Of course, I did not want this to happen before, too,”

“Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto sincerely asked me to return to the team. There were discussions with the selection committee too. I am grateful to them for still considering me in the team. However, I have listened to my own heart.”

It is to be noted here that Tamim Iqbal has now announced his retirement from international cricket for the second time. In July 2023, he made the same announcement in a press conference, but he quickly changed his mind within 24 hours, after the intervention of Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh at the time.

The former Bangladesh captain last represented the national team against New Zealand in September 2023 and scored 44 off 58 deliveries but eventually dropped from the ODI World Cup squad. Tamim Iqbal has scored most centuries (25) for Bangladesh as the 35-year-old amassed 5134 runs in 70 Tests, 8357 in 243 ODIs and 1758 in 78 T20Is.