Shakib wants Tamim Iqbal to take a break

Bangladesh’s World Cup star Shakib Al Hasan feels Tamim Iqbal can regain form if he takes some time away from international cricket.

Shakib Al Hasan (L) and Tamim Iqbal have been the pillars of Bangladesh in all formats.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan on Thursday asked out-of-form team-mate Tamim Iqbal to take some time away from international cricket to come back stronger.

Bangladesh was whitewashed 0-3 in an ODI series in Sri Lanka after Tamim was made the interim captain in the absence of regular skipper Mashrafe Mortaza and vice-captain Shakib.

Tamim struggled with form scoring just 21 runs in three matches.

“I think the important thing for him now is to take some rest, recover well, feel fresh and come back strongly. I am sure he will do this,” Shakib told reporters in Dhaka.

The Sri Lanka series came after a string of poor performances in the World Cup in England when Tamim, the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in all three formats, failed to meet the expectations. He scored just 235 runs in eight innings at 29.37, which included only one fifty against Australia.

Bangladesh was hoping Tamim would lift his game in Sri Lanka.

“There are a lot of negatives. We have to hold it tight and come back strong,” Tamim said after the team’s 122-run defeat in Wednesday’s third and final game.

Shakib, who is expected to play in next month’s home series against Afghanistan, said Bangladesh should rotate players to keep them fresh.

“It’s not possible for a player to play when he feels stretched. So these breaks are important. These breaks also create opportunity for others,” said Shakib.

“I can give you the example of India. Last year there were fewer injuries to players. One reason is they played with a rotation policy,” Shakib added.

Bangladesh will host Afghanistan for a Twenty20 series in September.