BSS, Dhaka :
Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal began the practice after recovering from his knee injury which forced him to miss some of Bangladesh matches in recent times.
He had gone through a batting practice with net bowlers at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday as his knee looked fine. The recurring knee injury kept him out of action since the one-day series against Zimbabwe. Tamim needed 8-10 weeks of rest to fully recover.
As per the advice of the doctors, Tamim pulled him out of the T20 series against Zimbabwe and the home T20 series against Australia and New Zealand.
He also ruled him out of Bangladesh Twenty20 World Cup squad, citing the reason that the players who were playing this format more regularly than him, should have been preferred ahead of him.
In a video message, he also said he talked to the BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon and selectors before making his decision. Despite that his decision sparked a debate over whether there is any rift between him and T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad. None of Mahmudullah or Tamim commented on this issue but the BCB president denied any problem between the two senior players.
However, Tamim was on the draft squad of the T20 World Cup but when he ruled himself out, selectors announced the team without him. Tamim hasn’t played any T20 cricket since March 2020.
Though Tamim ruled him out of the T20 World Cup, he is planning to play in a T20 tournament in Nepal. He also took a no-objection letter from the BCB. The Everest Premier League (EPL) organized by Nepal is scheduled to be held from September 25 to October 9. It is learnt that Tamim will leave for Nepal on September 23.
Initially Tamim’s plan was to prepare him for the T20 World Cup through his EPL. In the wake of the situation, he would play this tournament for being committed earlier.
