Bangladesh: Three months before the World Cup in India, Tamim Iqbal, the ODI captain for Bangladesh, announced his premature retirement from international cricket. His 16-year international career came to a sudden end.
Tamim made the statement at a press conference he organized in Chattogram on Thursday, a day after Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan in the first of three ODIs, while surrounded by a mob of reporters. Tamim was visibly upset and in tears as he made the announcement.
"This is the end for me. I have given my best. I have tried my best. I am retiring from international cricket from this moment," Tamim said. "I want to thank all my team-mates, coaches, BCB officials, my family members, and those who have been with me through my long journey. They kept faith in me."
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"I also want to thank the fans. Your love and faith in me inspired me to give my very best for Bangladesh. I want to ask for your prayers for the next chapter of my life. Please keep me in your prayers."
Shakib Al Hasan captained the squad in T20I matches, while Litton Das leads the side in tests. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has not yet appointed a replacement.
Around the same time last year, Tamim, 34, announced his retirement from T20Is. Bangladesh's one-off encounter against Ireland in April served as his final Test.
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Tamim made his ODI debut in February 2007 as a teenager, and in Bangladesh's famous victory against India in the World Cup in the West Indies, he scored the game-winning half-century. He is the third-highest run scorer among active cricketers, behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, with the most ODI runs (8313) and hundreds (14) for his nation.
Tamim was Bangladesh's second-best Test batsman, with 5134 runs at an average of 38.89 and ten hundreds in 70 games.
Mashrafe Mortaza, regarded as Bangladesh's finest captain, has a slightly greater victory % in ODIs than Tamim. Tamim has guided Bangladesh to a third-place finish in the ODI Super League and 21 victories out of his 37 ODI victories as captain, securing their direct qualification for the World Cup in India coming October and November. Additionally, in a Test match against New Zealand in 2017, he served as Bangladesh's captain.
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