The incident unfolded during a BPL match on Thursday.
Bangladesh veteran Tamim Iqbal and former England cricketer Alex Hales were involved in a heated altercation during a Bangladesh Premier League 2024-25 match on Thursday (January 9).
A video of the incident has emerged on social media, in which Tamim could be seen losing his calm. It unfolded after Rangpur Riders defeated Fortune Barishal in a nail-biting encounter at the Sylhet International Stadium.
Barishal skipper Tamim, whose team was at the receiving end of the thrilling finish, got into a verbal duel with opponent team opener Hales.
Both the players broke silence on the altercation later. "He was asking if I was embarrassed for getting banned for drugs for England and he was asking if I was still taking drugs and he was very, very rude. It's a real shame really because if anything happens on the field that just ends on the field, but to get personal and that too after the game, I think is pathetic, to be honest," Hales revealed on Channel 24.
Notably, Hales, back in 2019, served a suspension for an 'off-field' incident reported to involve recreational drug use.
Tamim too shared his side of the story, stating that it was Hales who was at fault. "He abused Emon, and it was visible on TV. He mocked him again today. If you watch the celebration video, Rangpur players ran towards (Nurul) after the win, but Hales kept looking at me and mocking me. It seemed like he wanted a fight," the Bangladesh legend said on Riasad Azim's YouTube channel.
"Later, when he again insulted Emon, I had to stand up for my teammate, and I have no regrets about doing so. We both exchanged words."
He further remarked: "I didn't even know about his ban or follow him that closely. But I do know there are many accusations against him in England. If anyone says something about me or my team, I will always stand up for us, regardless of how I'm portrayed on TV."