Tamim Iqbal opens up on potential Bangladesh comeback

One of Bangladesh’s most iconic players, Tamim Iqbal, opened up on his views regarding a comeback to the national team after being overlooked for the ODI World Cup 2023 and recently opting out of the central contract list for 2024.

The former Bangladesh captain announced his retirement from international cricket in July last year. However, after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina intervened, the southpaw reversed his decision. It was expected that Tamim would play a crucial role for the Bangla Tigers during their ODI World Cup 2023 campaign. However, the experienced campaigner was left out of the squad as the then Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief selector, Minhajul Abedin, said that the decision was taken after taking Tamim’s back problems into account.

Later, Tamim claimed that he would have been fit in time to play in the marquee event but he was told to relinquish his opening position and bat in the middle order. The flamboyant batter said that he decided to opt out of the marquee event and that he was forced into making the call. Also, the bad blood between Tamim and Shakib Al Hasan, who captained Bangladesh in the World Cup, is well documented. The star all-rounder fired verbal volleys at Tamim ahead of the tournament and called him ‘childish’ and ‘not a team man’.

For me to come back, a lot of things have to be right otherwise there’s no point for me: Iqbal

After leading Fortune Barishal to their maiden title triumph in the Bangladesh Premier League on Friday, March 1, Tamim said that a lot of things need to change for him to make a comeback to the national team. The Player of the Series in BPL 2024 stated that he would decide his future in international cricket after discussions with BCB chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain and Jalal Yunus, the BCB operations chairman.

“I would like to say one thing clearly. For me to come back, a lot of things have to be right otherwise there’s no point for me, to just come back and play. I am at a stage of my career where I would probably play for another two years. So I need to tell them such things and since I did not have a final talk with them, it won’t be appropriate for me to comment here,” Tamim said in a press conference.

“I haven’t spoken with him (new chief selector) yet. I was in communication with Jalal bhai (Jalal Yunus). I was available for a talk but, unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity. I will be travelling abroad tomorrow morning and hopefully, after I return, we will sit,” the veteran concluded.