While Tamim Iqbal has not shut the doors on making a sensational return to the Bangladesh team, the former captain has said that a lot of things need to be in the right order for his comeback.
Ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup, Tamim Iqbal showed that he still has a lot to offer in the T20s by playing a key role in Fortune Barishal’s triumphant campaign in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League. The former Bangladesh captain led the side from the very front and finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer.
In 15 games, he scored 492 runs with the help of three half-centuries. He was one of the only two batters who scored more than 400 runs in BPL 2024. The performance in the BPL was a much-needed one from Tamim Iqbal after the spate of setbacks he suffered in recent months.
The left-handed batsman had sensationally announced his retirement from international cricket before reversing his decision on the following day after a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He was then brutally snubbed for the ODI World Cup with captain Shakib Al Hasan publicly slamming him.
Tamim Iqbal on his comeback:
While many thought that the World Cup snub would prompt Tamim Iqbal to hang his boots in international cricket, the veteran opener is still open to plying his trade for his national team. However, for that to happen, he wants several changes.
“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,” Tamim Iqbal was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“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,” he added.
Speaking further, Tamim Iqbal said that while he has yet to talk to Bangladesh Cricket Board officials, he will do it once he returns from an overseas tour.
“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 traveling abroad tomorrow morning and hopefully, after I return, we will sit,” he said.
Tamim Iqbal is one of Bangladesh’s most decorated batsmen of all time. He has played 70 Tests, 243 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for Bangladesh so far, scoring over 15000 runs in international cricket.