Tamim Iqbal rejects Bangladesh captain's comeback request, announces retirement from international cricket

Bangladesh's opening batter, Tamim Iqbal, announced retirement from international cricket. The left-handed batter made 387 appearances for Bangladesh across all formats of the game. He brought the curtain down on his career after scoring 15,192 runs for the country. He is the second-highest run-getter for Bangladesh in international cricket after wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim.

Tamim Iqbal took to Facebook to announce his retirement. "I have been away from international cricket for a long time. That distance will remain. My chapter in international cricket is over. I have been thinking about this for a long time," he said.

This is not the first time that Tamim Iqbal has announced his retirement. He had called time on his career in July 2023, but later, he reversed his own decision.

"Now that a big event like the Champions Trophy is coming up, I do not want to be the focus of anyone's attention, which could lead to the team losing their focus. Of course, I did not want this to happen before, too," said Tamim Iqbal.

'Was asked to return'

Tamim Iqbal also revealed that captain Najmul Hossain Shanto asked him to return to the national side. However, he decided to listen to his own heart.

"Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto sincerely asked me to return to the team. There were discussions with the selection committee too. I am grateful to them for still considering me in the team. However, I have listened to my own heart," said Tamim Iqbal.

In his statement, Tamim Iqbal also touched upon missing out on the 2023 ODI World Cup, saying, “What happened before the 2023 World Cup, was a big shock for me, as I did not go out of the team due to cricket.”

The 35-year-old Tamim Iqbal amassed 5,134 runs in 70 Tests; in ODIs, he registered more than 8,000 runs in 243 matches.

In T20Is, the left-handed batter amassed 1,758 runs. His last international match for Bangladesh came against New Zealand in September 2023.