Tamim Champions Trophy participation left on him by BCB as deadline to announce squads inches ever so close.
Tamim Champions Trophy participation left in his own hands by the BCB.
The BCB is prepared to wait until the last minute to find out if Tamim wants to play, and squad announcements are due on January 12. Tamim, the captain of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) team, had discussions with chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain at the Fortune Barishal team hotel in Sylhet.
After Sheikh Hasina, the prime leader of Bangladesh at the time, intervened, Tamim reversed his decision to retire from international cricket in July 2023. Tamim and Nazmul Hassan, the president of the BCB at the time, had a falling out. Hassan and Hasina both departed the nation during the anti-government demonstrations in the middle of 2024, which claimed hundreds of lives.
During that run-in with the board in 2023, Tamim relinquished his captaincy. However, he returned to play two One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against New Zealand in September before being dropped for the 2023 World Cup by the selectors at the time, who were led by Minhajul Abedin. Then, in a televised interview, former captain Shakib Al Hasan blasted Tamim.
Although he hasn’t played for his country since. Tamim has continued to play domestic cricket, winning the 2024 BPL with the Barishal team and taking home the Player of the Tournament award. The meeting with the national selectors was held in Sylhet, where Tamim is presently defending that championship.
“We held a primary discussion with Tamim,” Gazi Ashraf Hossain said. “We’ve to announce the Champions Trophy team by January 12, so we have a bit of time. We want to let him take time, not be in a hurry to decide. We have spoken to him on behalf of the board. The player has to come to a decision after speaking to his family, friends and well-wishers. He is also in the middle of a tournament so he will need a bit of time.
“We have four days left [before announcing the squad]. We’ve done our homework, so we know how things will shape up. We pay respect to a cricketer like Tamim Iqbal, so he can take his time before informing us. I think it’s fair enough. The board is fine with this, so everyone now has to be patient.”