WEB DESK: Bangladesh’s veteran opener Tamim Iqbal has officially retired from international cricket, marking the second time he has stepped away from the game.
Tamim, who previously retired in July 2023 but reversed his decision after intervention from then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, confirmed his decision on Facebook, citing a desire to avoid distracting the team ahead of the Champions Trophy.
In the shrine where Tamim expressed thanks to his fans and teammates, along with the selectors, who stood by him throughout his career, he went on to acknowledge the emotional decisions, his loving the sport, stating that an individual choice was what standing away meant. “The right to retire or continue is the prerogative of a professional athlete,” he said.
Despite this accomplishment at the local level, including emerging as the 2024 BPL Player of the Tournament, Tamim reiterated he was not returning, having opted out of the BCB central contract in 2024. Tamim also looked back at the hurdles in his career, especially when he was not picked for the 2023 World Cup squad.
Tamim’s name will not only be written by the statistics as the highest run-scorer of Bangladesh in ODIs and Tests but he will also be lived as a model for cricket in Bangladesh and the rest of the world. His leadership, consistency, and super-monumental performances would stay in the minds of cricket buffs as an indelible mark, thereby closing one exhilarating page in the history of cricket in the nation.
