The Senior player Tamim Iqbal steps down as Bangladesh ODI captain and will be sidelined from the Bangladesh squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 due to injury.
Tamim Iqbal steps down from ODI captaincy
The Bangladesh captain and senior batter Tamim Iqbal announced his decision to step down as ODI captain on August 3, 2023.
This happened after his recent decision to quit the ODI format which was reversed immediately with the intervention of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister. Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket on July 6, but after meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he withdrew the decision.
With the World Cup 2023 set to be held in India within three months, Tamim Iqbal’s decision had lightened his workload. He will miss the upcoming Asia Cup due to his recurring back injury which will not heal within time.
Tamim Iqbal is now preparing for the home ODI series against New Zealand which starts on September 21 in between big events like the Asia Cup and World Cup.
“As you know I had an important meeting with Jalal bhai [Jalal Yunus] and Papon bhai [Nazmul Hassan]. We have discussed what will happen going forward. Today I step down as Bangladesh cricket team ODI captain,” Tamim said in a press conference alongside the BCB president.
“I have taken injections but those treatments are almost hit-and-miss at this point. I have spoken of my problems with them. I have always thought about the team first,” he added.
“Stepping down would be the best possible thing. I talked to the PM today and I gave her the message as well and she made me understand everything really nicely.
The main thing is, for the betterment of the team, I should step down as captain and try to give my best as a player whenever the opportunity comes.
He admitted that there was no point in the upcoming Asia Cup with his injury but confirmed will be not playing in the New Zealand series.
“If we had forced the issue, I could have played the Asia Cup but no one from the medical team or us sitting here wanted that. I’m very hopeful of the New Zealand series,” he said.
“The journey was fantastic and the result would speak for itself. I think I have done a very good job as captain. It could have been very selfish if I said that I want to stay on as captain,” he said.
“See I may not have the captaincy tag on me but whenever I am playing, I will act as a captain. What I mean is whoever is the captain I will do everything and do my best to help the captain,” he added.
He shocked the cricketing surroundings when he announced a sudden retirement decision from international cricket in a press conference where he cried emotionally.
“His pain subsided somewhat but on 28th July it was instructed that he needed two weeks of rest. Complete rest for the first week and the next week will take him to August 11th.
Then he will begin rehab in a small way without any intensity which will see two weeks pass. Then he will have to slowly increase the pace of his progress although the intensity can’t be match-like,” he said.
“Two more weeks will pass after that before he can return to nets. As you know by that time our schedule for Asia Cup would resume and his intensity can’t increase before the 21st.
The team will leave for Asia Cup on the 26th so it will not be possible for Tamim to return before the Asia Cup.
We have talked in the meantime with Dr Debashish, Tamim, BCB president and discussed that it won’t be possible to make Tamim’s return possible for the Asia Cup. This is why Tamim will not be available for the Asia Cup,” Jalal added.
“We will inform who will be the captain going forward. As Tamim said, since it’s a recurring injury, he will have to take injections. Surgery is possible but if he goes for it, getting back is very difficult. So he may not pick that option.
Since he said that he will be available for the New Zealand series, we are hopeful that he will be fit for the New Zealand series followed by World Cup 2023. Our medical department will work with us and help him to make those events,” he added.
