New Delhi: Veteran Bangladesh cricketer Tamim Iqbal on Friday confirmed his retirement from international cricket, bringing down curtains on a 16 years journey with the men’s national team. The announcement was made through a social media post.
Tamim played 70 Tests, 243 One-Day Internationals, and 78 T20 Internationals for Bangladesh from 2007 to 2023 with his last appearance came in an ODI match against New Zealand in September 2023 in Dhaka.
He will bow out as the country’s second most run-getter, having scored 15,129 runs across 387 matches at an average of 35.41 with the assistance of 94 half-centuries and 25 centuries. Only wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim (15300) has scored more runs than Tamim.
“I have been away from international cricket for quite some time, and the gap will not close. My chapter in international cricket is over,” Tamim wrote in Bengali on his latest Facebook post.
Tamim’s Retirement Announcement: Timing and Reasoning
Tamim hasn’t been on a national contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for more than a year and with just a month to go for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the 35-year-old felt it was the appropriate time for him to make the announcement to avoid any distractions on the national team.
“I have been reflecting on this for some time, and with the Champions Trophy ahead, I don’t want discussions about me to disrupt the team’s focus. I stepped away from the national contract a long time ago for this reason, although the media sometimes suggested otherwise,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Tamim has announced his decision to retire from international cricket. In July 2023, Tamim, who was serving as the team’s ODI captain back then, all of a sudden, announced the decision to retire from all formats of international cricket in a teary-eyed press conference. However, the decision was reversed a day later after the country’s then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina intervened into the matter.
With 8357 runs from 243 ODI matches at 36.65, Tamim is currently the leading run scorer for Bangladesh in the 50-over format.
Veteran Bangladesh cricketer Tamim Iqbal has officially retired from international cricket after a 16-year career. His decision, announced via social media, comes a year after stepping away from a national contract. Tamim ended his career as Bangladesh’s second highest run-scorer with over 15,000 runs across all formats. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
