(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Bangladesh batter Tamim Iqbal is gearing up for a comeback to competitive cricket in the upcoming season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), set to kick off in January next year. Tamim made this announcement during a press briefing at his residence shortly after meeting with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan.
Speculation surrounded Tamim’s cricket future after his decision to skip the recent ODI World Cup 2023 and the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand.
Despite retiring from international cricket in July 2023, he reversed this decision shortly after meeting with the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Tamim relinquished ODI captaincy a month later.
Explaining his stance, Tamim stated, “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. I have always been very open and clear about whatever decision I have taken in my life. I was not in the country for quite some time, so this meeting [with BCB president Nazmul Hassan] was due.”
Expressing remorse for the timing of the announcement in proximity to the Test match against the Black Caps, Tamim emphasized, “We held the meeting today because we had to postpone it yesterday too. Today is actually not a great day to do all this. The Test match [against New Zealand] starts tomorrow.”
“Since we had to do the meeting today, a statement afterwards was always forthcoming, so I apologize that I am doing this the day before the game. It is important for me and the Bangladesh team that there’s no impact of this in the game,” he added.
Tamim expressed his intention to reveal his future plans in January post the BPL, aiming to avoid unnecessary delays. He opined on the discussions with the BCB and its president, committing to respect their decisions.
“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. I could have told you my plan today, but let me play in the BPL, and then we will have another discussion for sure,” Tamil concluded.
Addressing the situation, BCB President Nazmul cited time constraints, mentioning ongoing elections. He expressed the need to delve deeper into the matter after the elections.
“There wasn’t enough time [to discuss matters with Tamim]. He said some stuff. But he came at a time when I didn’t have enough time for him. I have the elections in a month. I spend most of my time in my constituency. I told him I will listen and speak to a few more people after the elections. I want to know where the problem is. I want to go into its depth,” said Nazmul as quoted.