Following his exclusion from the Bangladesh squad for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, Tamim Iqbal, the seasoned left-handed opener, took to social media to share a heartfelt video. In the video, he described his omission as a disheartening development and shed light on some unsettling truths about the situation. He did not hold back in expressing his frustrations and also criticized a senior official from the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Earlier, Bangladesh announced their 15-member squad on Tuesday late at night leaving out Tamim Iqbal citing a ‘back injury’.
In an unexpected twist, Tamim Iqbal, the former captain of the Bangladesh cricket team, has shared the surprising details behind his decision to decline participation in the upcoming World Cup squad. Tamim’s heartfelt video reveals a conversation he had with a high-ranking representative of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which ultimately led to his surprising withdrawal from the tournament.
Tamim has opened up about the BCB official informing him of his inclusion in the World Cup squad, but with certain conditions tied to his fitness. These conditions notably involved him sitting out the opening match against Afghanistan and the possibility of a change in his batting order position. This revelation has sparked a flurry of questions and concerns among avid cricket fans and followers.
Tamim in his video revealed, “Someone called me from the top level of the board who is very involved with our cricket. He said that if you go to the World Cup you have to play the matches by managing your (back) injury. So, you better do one thing, don’t play the first match against Afghanistan (on October 7).”
“I replied that the Afghanistan match is still 12/13 days away. In 12/13 days I will be in better condition. Why shouldn’t I play? Then, he said that if you play you have to bat down the order.
“After hearing this I am shocked as I have never in my 17-year career batted down the order. I feel like I’m being forced to do many things. I said, ‘Look, if you have such thoughts then don’t send me. I don’t want to be in this mess. I don’t want to be part of this dirty game. You make me face something new every day. I don’t want to stay here.”
Tamim Iqbal has clarified that he never intended to skip the trip to India, contradicting local media reports that suggested he had informed team management about his availability for only five World Cup games.
In a surprising turn of events, Tamim announced his retirement from international cricket in July 2023 but had a change of heart the very next day following some intervention. Unfortunately, he had to miss the Bangladesh Asia Cup squad due to a persistent back injury. Nevertheless, he made a comeback against New Zealand, contributing 44 runs in the second match. Regrettably, his ongoing back issue forced him to be omitted from the Men’s World Cup squad.
