Tamim Iqbal unlikely to feature in T20Is for Bangladesh again: Report

Bangladesh opening batter Tamim Iqbal is believed to have informed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that he is no longer interested in playing T20 Internationals (T20I), according to a report on Cricbuzz.

As a result, he is unlikely to feature in the shortest format going forward, confirms BCB chief Nazmul Hasan.

Tamim has displayed excellent form in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where he has smashed back-to-back fifties. Tamim missed the T20 World Cup in 2021 and the stahe seemed to be set for him to return to the T20I format with the home series against Afghanistan in February.

However, as things stand, we may have seen the last of Tamim playing for Bangladesh in T20Is. "Tamim has played well and he is always good," Nazmul told reporters on Saturday (January 22). 

"When I spoke with him last time you can say I requested him to make a return into T20Is. I have spoken with him on the telephone and he just said 'please don't push me because if you push me naturally I will have to return but I don't want to play in this format'. 

"After listening to this I felt there is no point asking him (to reconsider his decision) because if someone does not want to play any format there is no point forcing him to play,'' he said. 

Nazmul was not sure of Shakib Al Hasan's decision to give up one format. With the quarantine in place during the pandemic, Shakib had initially said that it would not be possible for him to play all three formats. However, the all-rounder, who skipped the tour of New Zealand, is said to be available to play for Bangladesh in every format from January.

"Probably he said this (taking a decision on his Test future) after the last conversation we had because he told me that from January he is available in every format and won't miss any games and naturally that includes Tests," Nazmul concluded.