Ahead of the 2023 World Cup, the Bangladesh team have been embroiled in an ugly controversy, with two veterans Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan slinging mud at each other. Here’s how the incident panned out.
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Tamim, Bangladesh’s ODI skipper until the start last month, has not been included in their World Cup squad.
July 5, 2023 – BCB president questions Tamim’s commitment
On the morning of the first ODI against Afghanistan, BCB president Nazmul Hassan accused Tamim, then the ODI captain, of being unprofessional. Tamim had earlier confirmed he was not fully fit for the series, with a back complaint ailing him, but would be playing the first Afghanistan game to measure his fitness levels.
Tamim made 13 in the game.
July 6, 2023 – Tamim calls for a press conference
Tamim called for a sudden press conference, leading to rumours of a big announcement. There were reports that he would give up the captaincy to focus on his batting ahead of the Asia Cup and World Cup, but he went onto announce his international retirement, a day after playing the first ODI against Afghanistan.
Litton Das was asked to lead Bangladesh in the last two ODIs.
July 7, 2023 – Tamim reverses decision to retire
Hassan expressed his disappointment at Tamim’s decision, saying Bangladesh wanted him to lead in the World Cup. Later that night, Tamim announced his decision to un-retire following an intervention from Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
July 11, 2023 – Tamim seeks overseas medical assistance for back injury
Tamim, who had a nagging back injury, sought medical help in Dubai and United Kingdom after it was confirmed that his injury was more serious than initially anticipated.
Tamim first suffered from the back injury ahead of the Test against Afghanistan in June.
August 3, 2023 – Tamim steps down as ODI captain
Tamim could not recover from the back injury, which was expected to take six weeks to heal, in time for the Asia Cup. He was not included in the squad for the event. He also stepped down as the ODI skipper, in order to give more clarity to the Bangladesh team ahead of the World Cup.
Shakib was later named the ODI skipper, having last led the team in the format in 2017.
September 16, 2023 – Tamim picked for New Zealand ODIs
Tamim was picked in the squad for the New Zealand ODIs, and went on to play two games. He did not bat in the first match and made 44 in the second ODI at Mirpur. After the game, Tamim said he felt a slight discomfort in his back. He was rested for the third ODI.
Tamim later clarified that he was fit for the third ODI and that he did not play the game to be fit for the warm-up games for the World Cup.
September 26, 2023 – Tamim not picked in World Cup squad
Three days after playing the second ODI against New Zealand, Tamim was omitted from the World Cup squad, giving rise to speculation that it could be the end of his career.
According to ESPNCricinfo, Tamim informed the selectors that they should consider his fitness issues while picking the team.
Reports suggested that he was ignored after he told the selectors he would play only five games in the World Cup due to injury.
September 27, 2023 – Tamim hits out after omission
A day after being dropped from the World Cup team, Tamim accused the board of “intentionally” creating a tough atmosphere for him before the squad announcement. According to him, an official asked him to sit out of Bangladesh’s first World Cup match against Afghanistan on October 7, despite being certain he would be fit in time. The official later asked him to play down the order. Tamim has opened in each of his 240 ODI innings.
In a Facebook video, Tamim admitted that he informed the official that he did not want to be selected for the World Cup if the board would create one “barrier after another” for him. He also refuted reports that he told the selectors about playing five World Cup games.
September 27, 2023 – Shakib calls Tamim “childish”
Bangladesh ODI captain Shakib hit out at Tamim and criticised him for putting himself ahead of the team by not accepting the offer to bat lower down the order.
Earlier in the year, Hassan had admitted that Tamim and Shakib have been involved in a long-standing rift due to which an unhealthy atmosphere prevailed in the dressing room.
September 28, 2023 – Mashrafe Mortaza calls for diplomacy
Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who played his last ODI ahead of the World Cup, set out in a Facebook video of his own where he felt fault lay in the dispute, and calling for a cooling of emotions on all sides. Mortaza played a key role in Tamim’s retirement reversal in July, and was a long-time team-mate of both Shakib and Tamim.
