Bangladesh batting great Tamim Iqbal retires from international cricket: 'Now I feel that the time has come'

Tamim Iqbal has announced his retirement from international career for the second time in nearly two years . This time, however, the Bangladesh opener and former captain appears to have made up his mind for good, after having reversed his decision within 24 hours following intervention from then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July 2023.

According to ESPNCricinfo, the batting great informed the Gazi Ashraf Hossain-led Bangladesh selection committee of his decision to remain retired from all international formats on Wednesday after he was quizzed on his availability for the ICC Champions Trophy that takes place in Pakistan and UAE next month. Tamim, however, would make his decision public on Friday after Najmul Hossain Shanto, who leads the Tigers across formats, requested him to reconsider his decision.

“I have been away from international cricket for a long time,” he wrote on Facebook. “That distance will remain. My chapter in international cricket is over. I have been thinking about this for a long time. 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,” Tamim wrote on Facebook.

“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,” the 35-year-old, who was on commentary duty during Bangladesh’s tour of India in September and October, added.

With the 12 January deadline fast approaching for teams to announce their provisional squads for the Champions Trophy, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was perhaps waiting for Tamim to confirm his availability until the last minute before unveiling their squad.

The southpaw added that there should have been no discussion on his availability in the first place as he had decided to remove himself from BCB’s central contracts list a long time ago.

“I removed myself from the BCB central contract a long time ago because I did not want to return to international cricket. Many have said that I have left the matter hanging. Why would anyone discuss a cricketer who is no longer in BCB’s contracted list? I voluntarily stepped down more than a year ago.

“Even after that, there has been unnecessary discussion. The decision to retire or continue playing is the right of a cricketer or any professional sportsman. I have given myself time. Now I feel that the time has come.”

Tamim retires as one of Bangladesh’s greatest cricketers of all time with more than 15,000 international runs to his credit – including 8,357 from 243 ODI appearances. He is part of a golden generation of cricketers comprising Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Mortaza that oversaw Bangladesh’s rise in international cricket that began in the 2007 ODI World Cup and peaked in the 2015 ODI World Cup and beyond.

Despite reversing his retirement three months before the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Tamim was not part of Bangladesh’s campaign in that tournament, with his last international appearance coming against New Zealand in Mirpur in September that year.