Yesterday, following a long-awaited meeting with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon and cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus, Tamim Iqbal announced his intention to stand down as captain of the Bangladesh cricket team, citing an injury as the primary reason for his decision.
Jalal told the media at the same press conference that Tamim would not be playing the Asia Cup in order to not push the issue and instead be ready for a comeback for the home series against New Zealand in September, right before the World Cup. Tamim communicated the topic of captaincy personally before Jalal notified the public of this information in the same press conference.
In spite of the inclement weather, members of the media gathered to Mirpur, where the members of the national team were waiting to take the Yo-Yo exam. The media’s attention, on the other hand, was completely concentrated on when and where the meeting between Tamim Iqbal and BCB would begin. As a result, the activities relating to fitness exercises did not get much attention from the press.
As they waited until nighttime, the press event, which was scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM but didn’t start until well after 9:00 PM, ran well beyond schedule.
“It has made me feel quite furious. There is a discrepancy between the manner in which the situation was presented to us and the actual events that took place, and as a result, I believe that the topic needs to be examined. If this condition had been identified in 2022 and treatment had started at that time, he would have made a full recovery by today. Because of some oversight on someone’s part, we were forced to learn all of this only days before the start of the World Cup. In response to the diagnosis of Tamim’s injury, BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon made the following statement.
“Jalal bhai and Papon bhai and I had a very crucial meeting. We have spoken about what will take place from this point forward. As of today [Thursday], I shall no longer serve as captain of the One-Day International cricket squad for Bangladesh. I have a feeling that injury is a problem, and I have taken injections, but I feel as if such therapies are almost like a gamble at this point. I have discussed the issues that I have had with them. “If I were to think about the team, stepping down would be the best thing that could possibly happen,” Tamim remarked at the press conference yesterday, while also sharing the fact that he discussed his choice with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh before to the meeting.
“The objective is to do well in the World Cup, and it doesn’t matter who the captain is. Tamim continued by saying that “country is much bigger than the individual.”
Jalal said that Tamim’s discomfort had decreased “somewhat” after receiving numerous injections in the United Kingdom. On July 28th, he was given the instruction to take a two-week break from work. On August 11th, the two weeks of rest will come to an end, and then Tamim will be able to start his rehabilitation in a “small way.” After he starts his rehabilitation, there will be another two weeks that pass. After that, it would be another two weeks before he could return to the nets, and Tamim would not be allowed to participate in high-intensity training until the 21st of August at the earliest.
After then, there would be an additional delay of two weeks before he can return to nets. Because you are aware, by that time our program for the Asia Cup will have resumed, and because his level of intensity cannot grow until the 21st, we can’t push it any further. As a result of the fact that the squad will depart for the Asia Cup on the 26th of August, it will not be feasible for Tamim to return before the Asia Cup. Jalal has the information.
*Tamim assumed leadership of the Tigers in one-day internationals when Mashrafe Bin Mortaza resigned in 2020, after the conclusion of a home series against Zimbabwe. He had to sit on the sidelines until he was given his first assignment as captain, and he made his debut as captain in 2021 against the West Indies at home.
*During the 37 matches that Tamim captained Bangladesh in, the Tigers were victorious 21 times and fell short 14 times. There were no winners in either of the other two matches.
*During his term as captain, Tamim led Bangladesh to spectacular series victory over India (at home) and South Africa (away). Both victories came in the form of a cricket match.
In addition, the president of the BCB said that they have full faith that Tamim would be able to make a full recovery in time for the series against New Zealand as a player, while also revealing that they have not discussed the position of captain with any other player.
The president of the BCB said that the standard operating process for the Tigers would have been for the vice-captain to lead the team in the event that Tamim had been unable to participate in the Asia Cup. In spite of this, Tamim’s decision to step down as captain meant that the board would have to look for a new candidate for the position in the long term. BCB sources indicate that they would like Shakib Al Hasan for the long-term position; nevertheless, they need to debate it not only among themselves but also with the player who is worried.
Jalal continued by saying that it is probable that Tamim will not have surgery since it would be tough for him to return to play after undergoing surgery.
Regarding Tamim’s damage diagnoses in the L4 and L5 discs, BCB is going to continue its investigation into how the matter came to this point.
Tamim said at the press conference that the first diagnosis of his condition was made in the month of November 2022. On the other hand, the most recent MRI result from Dubai indicated a different diagnosis for the injury.