- Nasima Akter
No Press Conference the Next Time Tamim Leaves
Tamim Iqbal, the captain of Bangladesh's ODI team, is currently vacationing in Dubai. He talked to two media outlets in the country about his plans to return to the team after his retirement announcement.
The situation regarding his return remains uncertain. Tamim believes that if he retires again, he won't do it through a press conference. He hasn't provided specific reasons for his retirement announcement, but it appears that if the same circumstances that led to his retirement continue, he may contemplate retiring once more.
"There were enough reasons," he said in an interview. "The decision was not taken overnight," he added.
Tamim also discussed the circumstances that led him to make such a difficult decision during the Afghanistan series, a decision that he later overturned after intervention from the Prime Minister. He admitted to feeling uncomfortable about something for the last several months, which was unrelated to his cricket performance. Despite facing a slump in his batting form during the last three series, Tamim clarified that his decision to retire wasn't solely based on his on-field performances. He tried his best to fight through the challenges and improve the situation, but eventually, he reached a point where he couldn't push himself any further, leading to his retirement announcement.
Regarding his injury, Tamim's situation is as unclear as his captaincy. He mentioned two factors that he felt were not going well. One was the chain of command, and he expressed his respect for it. However, he admitted that maintaining this practice is not common. The other issue was the fitness drills he was given, which did not consider his previous injury problems.
"I always respect the chain of command. I am a national team cricketer, and my direct boss is Jalal [Yunus] bhai. Anything I have to do or say must go through him and the department. I maintain good communication with the board president [Nazmul Hassan] as well, but I never want to break the chain of command. I try my best, but it's not very common here," he said.
Tamim explained how the pain from his back started spreading to other parts of his body, leading to him missing the India series. He tried to play in the Bangladesh Premier League with injections but had to stop after 10 games as the pain returned. He was cautious due to the upcoming England and Ireland series. However, the injury reappeared while working out in the gym, raising concerns about the exercise routines he was given.
Now, everything depends on Tamim's meeting with cricket operations chairman, Jalal Yunus. He plans to discuss the reasons behind his retirement and assess if the situation has improved.
"If the situation remains the same, then I'll still be at zero," he said.
Tamim emphasized that when he retires again, he won't hold a press conference. He already experienced that when he retired previously, and he believes that nothing can be more honest than the emotions and tears he showed during that press conference.
"My retirement part is done," he suggested.
