Veteran opener Tamim Iqbal has no intention to return to the Bangladesh team and resume playing international cricket unless a lot of things fall in place.
In July 2023, Tamim retired from international cricket, but later he changed his mind after Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested him to continue playing for the country.
The southpaw, who last played for Bangladesh in the three-match home ODI series against New Zealand in September, chose not to play in the 2023 World Cup due to disagreements with BCB high-ups and team management.
Tamim recently showcased his form in the Bangladesh Premier League, finishing as the highest run-getter with 492 runs in 15 matches. He also earned the Player of the Tournament award while his team Fortune Barishal clinched their maiden title.
"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. I am at a stage in 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."
"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 travelling abroad tomorrow morning and hopefully, after I return, we will sit," said Tamim to Cricbuzz.
Tamim also made it clear that he was not aiming to prove anything to anyone through the BPL 2024.
"During my international career, I have gone through lots of ups and downs and there were times when there was a lot of talk like whether I would be in the team or not and I wanted to prove people wrong and actually by trying to do that I learnt that I was building pressure on myself."
"The most important thing that I learnt is that whenever I tried to do that (trying to prove something to someone), I put pressure on myself, and I didn't understand it. In the next match, when I was going to bat, I was full of pressure."
"There were also times when the same talks were there, and I didn't take it seriously. This is the learning from 17 years of my career, and I just tried to do it this time. I know if I didn't score there would be a lot of talks but that's fine, we had a fantastic environment to take care of it," he explained.
On a different note, Tamim Iqbal opined that if veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim comes out of retirement in T20Is, it would benefit Bangladesh ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to June 29.
"If he (Mushfiqur) decides to make a comeback..., there are several examples of legendary cricketers who played cricket after coming back from retirement and the way he batted if he decides to make a comeback (in T20Is) it will benefit Bangladesh and nothing can be better than that," he concluded.
(With IANS Inputs)
