Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal announces retirement three months before World Cup

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal has announced shocking retirement from International cricket.

The whole cricket fraternity is preparing for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup in India, which is just three months away. But what came as a shock was that Bangladeshi ODI captain Tamim Iqbal dropped a bombshell and announced his retirement from international cricket. It was an unexpected decision, as he is leading the team in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.

Bangladesh lost the first game by 17 runs (DLS method) on Wednesday, and the skipper couldn't make much contribution in his innings. No one expected him to make such a decision, and that too just three months from the start of the ODI World Cup in India. On Thursday, he called for a sudden media press conference at 12 p.m. (local time) and announced his retirement with teary eyes.

Tamim Iqbal announces his international retirement with teary eyes

With his shocking decision. The 34-year-old ends his 16-year international career. During the press conference, he was surrounded by many reporters, and he got emotional while announcing his decision. Tamim Iqbal thanked his teammates, board, support staff, and fans for supporting him throughout his career. He made his ODI debut In February 2007 against Zimbabwe.

During the press conference, he said, "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. 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." However, there have been reports about his fitness that he is not fully fit and despite that he decided to play the ongoing series.

Tamim Iqbal has played 241 ODIs in his career and scored 8313 runs at an average of 36.62, with a best of 158. He has also scored 14 centuries and 56 half-centuries, and he is the only Bangladeshi player with a century in all three formats. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) hasn't announced the next ODI captain, while Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das are Test and T20I captains for Bangladesh. Tamim retired with the most international centuries for his country and has decent test numbers. He has scored 5134 runs in 70 tests, including 10 centuries and 31 half-centuries.