Bangladesh‘s former opener and captain Tamim Iqbal announced his departure from international cricket on Friday. “My chapter in international cricket is over”, he wrote on Facebook in Bengali.
“I have been away from international cricket for a long time. That distance will not be bridged,” the post further read.
Tamim scored in excess of 15,000 runs in international cricket and registered 25 centuries, an unmatched achievement by any Bangladesh player. He was anticipated to make a comeback to the national squad for the Champions Trophy scheduled for next month, but he chose to walk away.
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The southpaw entered Test cricket in 2008, after having made his ODI and T20I debuts the year before that. He ended up playing 70 Tests, 243 ODIs and 78 T20Is, achieving the remarkable feat of scoring hundreds in all three formats.
In 2023, Tamim announced his retirement from international cricket but reversed his decision within 24 hours after Bangladesh’s prime minister personally intervened.
Subsequently, he was omitted from the 2023 World Cup squad, leading to captain Shakib Al Hasan publicly criticising him as “totally childish”.
This week, national selectors met with Tamim to discuss his potential return to the team for the Champions Trophy.
“I have been thinking about this for a long time,” Tamim added about his retirement. “Since there is a big tournament like the Champions Trophy ahead, I don’t want there to be discussions surrounding me again and the team’s focus to be disrupted.
“I’ve given myself time. Now, I realise that the time has come.”
Tamim is presently participating in the Bangladesh Premier League.