Tamim Iqbal was unable to hold back his tears as he announced his retirement from international cricket during a press meeting at a hotel in Chattogram yesterday. He paused in the middle of his speech to collect himself when he was overcome with emotion.
Everyone present in the briefing room, and subsequently the entire nation, was taken aback by such a dramatic action taken by the Bangladesh ODI skipper; yet, the nation’s finest opener did not accept questions following his revelation.
According to sources close to the situation, cricketer Tamim Iqbal has made his way to the Prime Minister’s office today in order to meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The sources revealed to The Daily Star that Tamim, who only yesterday announced his retirement from playing international cricket, was scheduled to see the Prime Minister in her office at 2:30 in the afternoon.
In a surprising turn of events, Tamim revealed yesterday that he will hang up his boots, bringing an end to his illustrious 16-year career only three months before the ODI World Cup. This announcement came the day after the first one-day international match played against Afghanistan.
The heartbreaking news that was delivered in Chattogram caused the 34-year-old woman to burst into tears; she was on her way to Dhaka when she departed on Friday morning.
The president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Nazmul Hassan Papon, stated later yesterday that Tamim is still the one-day international (ODI) captain of Bangladesh, adding that the board had not yet received his official resignation. Tamim’s declaration came a few hours after the meeting, and Papon’s statement came after an urgent meeting of the board.
On July 18, Tamim is scheduled to take a flight to Dubai.