Shakib Al Hasan has hit out at Tamim Iqbal, calling his behaviour ‘childish’ and stating that he would not want a player who is not fully fit in Bangladesh’s World Cup squad.
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Shakib’s comments come one day after Tamim put out a statement on social media claiming he was asked to bat in the middle order and that he never told anyone that he would be fit for only five matches at the World Cup. Current Bangladesh captain Shakib has countered the statement, saying that Tamim is not a team man.
Having resigned from ODI captaincy a couple of months back before reversing his retirement after an intervention from the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Tamim was unceremoniously left out of Bangladesh’s World Cup squad at the last minute despite having made a decent return to the side in the recently concluded series against New Zealand.
In a video statement released yesterday (September 27) on social media, Tamim put forth his perspective, making claims that he was asked to skip Bangladesh’s first match at the World Cup and to play in the middle order, something that was not acceptable to him.
Shakib, who replaced Tamim as the captain, spoke about the controversy in an interview with T-Sports. He said that even if a request to bat in the middle order was made to Tamim, there’s nothing wrong in that since that would have been for the benefit of the team.
“I am sure someone who is authorized had said this (to bat in the middle order, to Tamim). I am sure whoever has said it, he thought of the team. A lot of things go into building a combination for a match. So if someone has said this to him, was it wrong? Or we can’t make such a proposal? Is the team first or the individual?” said Shakib.
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He gave the example of how Rohit Sharma made the move from the middle order to the top, and yet he shifts down whenever required. “Someone like Rohit Sharma built his career from No. 7 to opener, scored 10,000-plus runs. If he sometimes bats at No 3 or 4, would it be a big problem? It is totally childish,” said Shakib.
“It is my bat, I will play. No one else can play. A player should bat at any position for the team. Team first. It doesn’t make any difference if you have made 100 or 200, and the team loses. What can you do with personal achievement? You want to make a name for yourself?”
Shakib didn’t mince any words as he took a dig at Tamim for being not dedicated to the team’s cause. “You are not thinking about the team at all. People don’t understand these things,” said Shakib. “Why was the proposal given to him? It was for the team. What is wrong in that? You are a team man when you agree to such a proposal. Unless you are thinking along those lines, you are not a team man. You are playing for individual records, success, fame, and name. Not for the team.”
Shakib also mentioned that if a player is not a 100 per cent fit and still playing, they would be cheating the team. Tamim has been plagued by a persistent back problem which he has had to manage and would have had to manage through the World Cup.
“People might doubt my capability or capacity but someone like MS Dhoni, who has won everything and has the knowledge and sense, once said that the unfit player who is playing is cheating his team and country. I think we should accept it, and not just Tamim but every player.
“Kane Williamson won’t play the first two matches [at the World Cup], but then he will start playing. If I knew something like this, I wouldn’t have any problems. But if I know that there’s uncertainty about him playing the seventh or the third or the first game, or that I will only know in the morning of the game, it will be difficult for me to select the team. I don’t think we need such a player.”
