- Wednesday, April 23, 2025
The one-day international captain made a tearful announcement about his immediate retirement at a packed press conference on July 6.
By: Shubham Ghosh
A DAY after his sudden decision to quit international cricket with immediate effect left millions of Bangladeshi cricket fans shocked, ace opening batter Tamim Iqbal withdrew his retirement following a reported intervention by the country’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.
On Thursday (6), Iqbal called a media conference in Chittagong, a day after Bangladesh lost the opening one-day international match against Afghanistan under his captaincy, and made a tearful announcement about his retirement. He did not reveal the reason for his call, leaving much to the imagination.
Tamim Iqbal comes out from his Retirement decision.
He will return to National Team again & will wear Bangladesh's Shirt again ??
Special Thanks to Our Honourable Prime Minister, Mother of Humanity Sheikh Hasina & Former Captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for it! #Tamim #TamimIqbal pic.twitter.com/BuPB4nso0r
— Sadrul huda Bhadon (@Badhon_End) July 7, 2023
“This is the end for me. I have given my best. I have tried my best. I am retiring from international cricket from this moment. Yesterday against Afghanistan was my last international game. I am retiring from international cricket effective right now. It was not a sudden decision. I was thinking about the different reasons. I don’t want to mention here. I have spoken to my family members about it. I thought this is the right time for me to retire from international cricket,” he said as he sobbed in a packed conference.
The announcement left the Bangladeshi cricket fans shocked, particularly since it came just three months before the 50-over world cup in India.
However, it now seems that the 34-year-old southpaw has taken a U-turn. According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the veteran batter who has scored more than 15,000 international runs with 25 centuries, withdrew his decision to retire following an intervention from Sheikh Hasina, who is known to be a cricket enthusiast.
Iqbal reportedly met the prime minister on Friday (7) after being invited and met her accompanied by his wife, former Bangladesh captain and current parliamentarian Mashrafe Mortaza and Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Nazmul Hassan Papon, who is also a parliamentarian.
Both Mortaza and Papon are members of Hasina’s ruling Awami League.
