Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s One Day International (ODI) team’s Captain, has caused a surprise by announcing his retirement from international cricket. This unexpected decision comes just three months ahead of the World Cup scheduled to take place in India, abruptly concluding his impressive 16-year career representing his country.
With a swarm of reporters encircling him, Tamim displayed deep emotions, visibly moved to tears, as he revealed this news during a press conference held in Chattogram on Thursday. The announcement followed Bangladesh’s defeat to Afghanistan in the first of three ODIs, a day prior to the press conference.
At approximately the same time last year, at the age of 34, Tamim announced his retirement from Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). His final appearance in a Test match was during Bangladesh’s one-off game against Ireland in April. Currently, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has not yet designated a successor for his role.
Shakib Al Hasan leads the team in the T20I format, while Litton Das holds the position of Test captain. Tamim embarked on his international career as a teenager, making his debut in One Day Internationals (ODIs) in February 2007.
Notably, he played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s historic victory against India in the World Cup held in the West Indies, where he contributed with a match-winning half-century. Finishing his career with remarkable achievements, Tamim holds the record for the highest number of ODI runs (8313) and hundreds (14) for his country.
Among current cricketers, he ranks third in terms of the highest run-scorers, following Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. As a Test batsman, Tamim accumulated an impressive total of 5134 runs, the second-highest for Bangladesh, with an average of 38.89.
Tamim Iqbal had a remarkable performance includes ten centuries in 70 matches. In terms of captaincy, Tamim boasts a slightly higher win percentage than Mashrafe Mortaza, who is widely regarded as Bangladesh’s best leader.
Throughout his tenure as ODI captain, Tamim led the team to victory in 21 out of 37 matches. Notably, he guided Bangladesh to a commendable third-place finish in the ODI Super League, securing their direct qualification for the World Cup scheduled in India during October and November.
Additionally, he briefly captained Bangladesh in a single Test match against New Zealand in 2017.