Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal won't compete in the upcoming Asia Cup because it's unlikely that his chronic back injury will get better in time. He has also resigned as Bangladesh's ODI captain to provide the team and BCB with more clarity before the World Cup.
Between the Asia Cup and the World Cup, on September 21, Tamim will play in a home ODI series against New Zealand.
Less than a month after revoking his retirement from international cricket, Tamim has decided to step down as captain. On July 6, Tamim announced his retirement; however, Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, asked him to reconsider that afternoon.
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"I believe injury is an issue," Tamim said. "I took an injection [on July 28], but it is like a hit or miss. I have told them [the board] about the problem. I have always helped the team over everything else. So keeping that in mind, stepping down is the best possible decision. I want to give my best as a player whenever the opportunity comes. I have spoken to the prime minister, and she understood."
"I believe injury is an issue," Tamim said. "I took an injection [on July 28], but it is like a hit or miss. I have told them [the board] about the problem. I have always helped the team over everything else. So keeping that in mind, stepping down is the best possible decision. I want to give my best as a player whenever the opportunity comes. I have spoken to the prime minister, and she understood."
Tamim isn't eligible for the Asia Cup due to the lengthy recovery process, according to Jalal, but he is gearing up for the ODIs against New Zealand and the World Cup in October. "He has been suffering from an injury in his L4 and L5 in his back," he said. He has been in treatment for almost a year. He went abroad, consulted several doctors. Recently, he consulted a doctor in London.
"The diagnosis was that his pain is generating from L4 and L5 discs." Two shots were injected into him. On July 28, he received a second injection that helped him feel better. His rehabilitation will resume on August 11 after he takes a two-week break from work. But it will be another two weeks before he can go back to the nets. By then, on August 26, we will have left for the Asia Cup.
"If he undergoes surgery, returning [soon] will be very difficult. He is unlikely to do that, so we are expecting him to return for the New Zealand series."
Tamim is also hopeful of a comeback against New Zealand. "We planned it so that the hit-or-miss situation of the injection can be mitigated," he said. "I want to play the New Zealand series in the best possible shape. We could have rushed it for the Asia Cup but we are opting against it. I am very hopeful that I will be available for the World Cup."
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In that situation, Tamim said, giving up the captaincy was an "unselfish" option. "I think the [captaincy] journey has been fantastic. The results speak for themselves. I told Papon bhai [Hassan] that it would have been very selfish of me if I had stayed on as captain. Whoever knows me, knows that I put the team ahead of myself."
"It is certainly a shock for us," Hassan said of Tamim's decision. "We were not prepared for this decision. We have to now name an ODI captain at least till the World Cup; it won't be for one or two series."
However, he demanded an investigation into how the injury Tamim first experienced in November of last year was handled.
"Tamim did his scans in Dhaka, India, Bangkok and London. This is the first time, from London, I saw a report that showed that he has a problem [in his back]. I told him to take Dr Debashish Chowdhury [the BCB's chief medical officer] on a conference call.”
"I heard about the injury four or five days ago. I lost my temper when I saw his report. We have to investigate this matter further. I hope this doesn't happen again. There was definitely negligence. This shouldn't have come this far."
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