Tamim Iqbal withdraws retirement after meeting Bangladesh PM

DHAKA: Opening batter Tamim Iqbal withdrew his retirement from international cricket following his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said.

The reversal came just two days after Tamim Iqbal broke down in tears while announcing a shocking retirement decision with immediate effect briefly after leading Bangladesh in a 17-run defeat in the first ODI of the three-match home series against Afghanistan.

The turning point occurred on Friday afternoon, when former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, now a member of parliament, initiated the process by requesting the Bangladesh PM about intervening in this scenario.

Consequently, a meeting was held at Sheikh Hasina’s residence in Dhaka which was attended by Tamim, alongside his wife, Mashrafe Mortaza and BCB president Nazmul Hassan.

Briefly, after the meeting, BCB director Jalal Yunus revealed that Tamim Iqbal has a change of heart and has decided to withdraw his retirement.

“Tamim Iqbal has withdrawn his retirement decision,” Yunus said.

“However he will take a six-week rest to regain fitness. He has been under physical and mental pressure in the past six months, which affected his performance.”

Tamim’s emotional press conference on Thursday did not go well with BCB president Hassan, who questioned the batter’s professionalism for playing the match while admitting he wasn’t fully fit.

It is worth mentioning here that the BCB, earlier today, named wicketkeeper Litton Das as the interim captain to lead Bangladesh in the remaining two ODIs against Afghanistan.

Despite taking back his retirement from international cricket, Tamim Iqbal is still unlikely to lead Bangladesh in the ongoing series as the left-handed batter will take a month-long rest to regain his fitness.

It is pertinent to mention that Tamim Iqbal has thus far accumulated 15,205 runs in international cricket with the help of 25 centuries.