Tamim Iqbal dismisses reports of rift with Shakib Al Hasan ahead of white-ball series against England

While Tamim is the captain of the Bangladesh ODI side, Shakib is at the helm of the Test and T20I teams.

Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan | GettyBangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal on Sunday (February 26) dismissed the speculations of rift in the team and also made it clear that his relationship with veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was "very normal".

"Our team environment has been good for a number of years. A happy dressing room allows one to achieve the type of results that you are seeing," Tamim told reporters at a news conference in Dhaka. "I think everything is very normal."

His comments came after BCB President Nazmul Hassan hinted that the environment in the dressing room was not "healthy".

"The biggest problem for Bangladesh cricket at the moment is this grouping, and that is the reality. I don't have a problem with anything else," Nazmul said while speaking to Cricbuzz.

The BCB chief also mentioned that he had tried to address a factional dispute between Shakib and Tamim but couldn’t succeed.

"It's not that I have not tried to sort it out. I have spoken with both of them, and I felt that it is not easy to settle the issues at the moment," he said.

While Tamim is the current captain of the Bangladesh ODI side, Shakib is at the helm of the Test and T20I teams.

Tamim said performance on the pitch was what mattered.

"The important thing when Shakib and I put on the Bangladesh jersey is whether we are giving our best and whether we are helping each other. When we are leading the teams, nothing else matters," the southpaw said at the media briefing ahead of the white-ball series against England.

"Whatever anyone is saying, whether we have coffee together, these things don't matter."

Bangladesh will host England in three ODI and T20Is each. While the 50-over series will get underway on March 1 in Dhaka, the T20I series will start on March 9.

(With AFP Inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 27 Feb, 2023

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