Captain Tamim recalls 16-yr int’l career in emotional press briefing

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal (34) announced his retirement from international cricket today July 6.  His retirement from all forms of cricket will be effective from today. At a press briefing at a hotel in Chattogram today, tearful Tamim read out a statement informing his decision of retirement.

“Yesterday [the game] against Afghanistan was my last in international cricket,” Tamim told the journalists.

He paused to control his emotions and lost his composure a few times at the press conference at the Tower Inn Hotel, which started around 1:20pm.

Tamim retires as the second highest run-scorer (5,134 runs) for Bangladesh in Test matches, the highest in ODIs (8,313), and the third highest in T20Is.

He has 10 Test centuries, the second highest for Bangladesh behind Mominul Haque, a Bangladesh-record 14 ODI centuries, and remains the only Bangladeshi to score a T20I century, which he hit against Oman in the 2016 World Twenty20 in India.

Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha was reportedly irked by his comments regarding his fitness ahead of the first ODI against Afghanistan, which Bangladesh eventually lost by 17 runs on Wednesday.

President of Bangladesh Cricket Board Nazmul Hassan expressed his displeasure too regarding the issue while talking to the journalists on Wednesday.

Tamim made his international debut in a one-day international against Zimbabwe in Harare on February 9, 2007 as a precocious 17-year-old. His Test debut was against New Zealand in Dunedin on January 3, 2008. And he played his first T20 International against Kenya in Nairobi on September 2007. He has played 241 ODIs, 70 Tests, and 78 T20Is.

Since he was the regular captain in 2021, he led in 34 games, won 21 and lost 11.