When Tamim Iqbal, a former captain of Bangladesh in one-day internationals, announced his retirement on Thursday at a city hotel in Chattogram, the veteran coach Nazmul Abedin Fahim expressed regret over the way in which Iqbal hung up his boots.
Tamim’s decision to retire came as a surprise because he participated in the opening one-day international of a three-match series against Afghanistan at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Wednesday, despite stating that he was not a “hundred per cent” due to fitness difficulties, the most of which were related to a chronic back ailment. The series was being played against Afghanistan.
“It came completely out of the blue. He is the captain of the team and is currently participating in a series. The reasonable thing to do would have been to make the choice to retire following the completion of the series. However, to reveal such a thing so abruptly after just one match, there is little reason to believe that he did so with joy. When he heard it, he felt really emotional.
It’s safe to say that the story doesn’t have a happy conclusion. It was a tragic event. Even after he had spent so much time representing Bangladesh in cricket, he was unable to say goodbye with a smile on his face.
Tamim joined a long line of Bangladesh players who have not been permitted to retire from the field. Fahim feels that the lack of mutual respect that exists between players and board members is the root reason of this issue.
It was stated that the management of the squad was left feeling dissatisfied as a result of Tamim’s words of trying out his fitness in an international encounter.
The head of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was cited as noting that the job at hand, which was the series against Afghanistan, was not a neighborhood affair in which a player would try to determine whether or not he is fit.
Fahim stated once more that a connection of this kind is the fundamental reason why athletes are unable to resign from their positions on the field.
“I believe that the connection between those who play and those who are in charge of administration is not one that is characterized by a great deal of respect when we give it some serious thought. When they are doing well, everyone is happy, and this is a fact; nevertheless, when their performance and form suffer, their genuine sentiments and viewpoints (towards players) are revealed.
“We have witnessed it so frequently because it has been applicable to a large number of good players. We put them up, but it didn’t take us long to begin deriding and disrespecting them after they were in place. There are a lot of examples available to us. It is a matter of cultural norms.
“The respectful relationship that the management or the stakeholders need to have with the players is not there,” he added. “There is a lack of respect on all sides.”