Bangladesh cricket stalwart Tamim Iqbal has announced his retirement from international cricket for the second time. Earlier, in July 2023, he had stepped away from the game in an emotional press meet, only to take back his retirement within 24 hours after intervention from then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. Today, Tamim made his latest announcement known to the Bangladesh selectors in Sylhet. Gazi Ashraf Hossain-led selection panel has also provided an invitation to him to return for the Champions Trophy, but Tamim stressed on his retirement decision. Though some of his teammates, including captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, requested him to reconsider, Tamim took an additional day to reflect but ultimately stood firm on his choice.
“I have been away from international cricket for a long time,” he wrote on Facebook, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“The distance would still be there. The chapter is now over for me. I have been thinking about this for a long time. Now that a big event like the Champions Trophy is coming up, I do not want to be the focus of anyone’s attention, which could lead to the team losing their focus. Of course, I did not want this to happen before, too,” he added.
“Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto sincerely asked me to return to the team. There were discussions with the selection committee too. I am grateful to them for still considering me in the team. However, I have listened to my own heart,” the post said.
January 12 was the cut-off date for squad announcements for the Champions Trophy event when the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was prepared to wait until the last minute for Tamim’s decision. Impressive domestic performances had kept him in the list. He has been active in domestic cricket since stepping away from international cricket, leading Barishal to victory in the 2024 BPL and winning the best player of the tournament award. He also did brilliantly within Dhaka Premier League and later runs refreshed in the NCL T20s and the ongoing BPL season.
However, Tamim did not confirm this long wait by the BCB and called it “unnecessarily long” since he had already withdrawn from the central contracts for 2024, signifying his departure towards international cricket considerations.
“I excluded myself from the BCB central contract a long time ago as I did not want to come back into international cricket,” he wrote.
“Many have said that I’ve left the matter hanging. Why would one discuss with anyone a cricketer, who is not even in BCB’s contracted list? I opted out voluntarily long before a year,” he stated
“Even after that, there has been very much needless discussion. The choice is of a cricketer or any professional athlete, either to retire or to continue playing. I have given time to myself. Now I feel the time has come,” the post further noted.