Tamim Iqbal steps down as ODI skipper, ruled out of Asia Cup

Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh. (Photo by Mike Hewitt-IDI/IDI via Getty Images)

Star Bangladesh batter Tamim Iqbal has stepped down as the skipper of the national team in the ODI format. Notably, the 34-year-old recently announced his international retirement after a fallout with the team management but soon reversed his decision after having a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Post that incident, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chairman Nazmul Hassan confirmed that the management is ready to do everything to sort out the situation and will also take care of Tamim as the cricketer is dealing with an injury. As things stand, he will not be able to recover in time and thus, has been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

As per ESPNcricinfo, BCB is expecting Tamim to recover before the home series against New Zealand and to be completely fit for the upcoming ODI World Cup. However, there are not enough updates about his injury at the moment but the expectations are that the cricketer will get better in due course.

Meanwhile, in the absence of Tamim, his opening partner Litton Das took charge of the team during the three-match series against Afghanistan. Hence, the 28-year-old seems to be the favourite to be at the helm of things and to lead Bangladesh in the marquee tournament. His captaincy record meanwhile looks decent as he won three out of five matches.

However, the situation regarding Tamim is a bit concerning. His bitter relationship with the management is yet to get resolved as the cricketer hasn’t returned back to the dressing room after his retirement announcement. Even though Nazmul remains confident of Tamim’s return ahead of the World Cup, the cricketer hasn’t spoken much about it.

Overall, the seasoned campaigner has represented the national team in 241 ODIs and has scored 8313 runs in the process. Thus, in case he misses out on the tournament, it will be a huge loss for the Bangla Tigers as they are determined to do well, especially with the competition being held in the subcontinent.