The way I finished, it wasn’t pleasant; To come back, I need to have a purpose: Tamim Iqbal on possible return to Bangladesh team

Tamim Iqbal will feature in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League, and his is not averse to considering a return to the international fold if approached properly.

FILE PHOTO: The former Bangladesh captain, who amassed 15,192 runs in 387 international outings across formats, is not done with cricket yet.  | Photo Credit: AFP

Tamim Iqbal, one of Bangladesh’s most prolific batters, endured a tumultuous few months last year as he was dropped from the squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup. By his own admission, “It wasn’t a pleasant experience.”

The former Bangladesh captain, who amassed 15,192 runs in 387 international outings across formats, however, is not done with cricket yet. He will feature in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League, and the seasoned campaigner is not averse to considering a return to the international fold if approached properly.

“The way I finished, it wasn’t pleasant. So, for me to come back and play, I need to have a purpose,” Tamim told  Sportstar.

“I am not someone who would come back for the heck of it and then play just four or five games. What is the point? Everybody says, ‘Come back, we want you’, but if I turn up for five games, will that help Bangladesh cricket? If there is a proper plan in terms of what they want to do and achieve, then I can think about it and we can talk accordingly….” he said.

The new Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed, who took over last month, recently had a conversation with Tamim and asked him to decide on his future course of action. “I have told Tamim that he is in that phase of life where he needs to decide his future. If he is fit, then why not!” Faruque had said.

And, Tamim, too, has kept doors open for a comeback.

“Now, you are talking about the Champions Trophy, where you hardly have four to five ODIs and there are three in the West Indies. So, basically, you are talking about six to seven games. When I have taken a backseat and somebody else has taken my role, I don’t think it makes sense to just come back for these number of games.

“But then, it’s a different thing if they (the BCB) tell me that we want to win the Champions Trophy or at least we want to qualify for the semifinals, and this will probably be the last tournament that the three or four senior players would play regardless of whatever the differences are and that the BCB will fix it. This is the way to approach people,” Tamim said.

But if he is approached, will he consider donning the Bangladesh colours again?

“Yeah, obviously. But the thing is - do I play for the cricket board, or do I play for the team? Where should this approach (request) come from? The cricket board looks after me but the players also need to be welcoming,” the 35-year-old said.

FILE PHOTO: In July 2023, Tamim Iqbal, suddenly retired from international cricket and then reversed his decision.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images

“Look, I have a good relationship with everyone and I know that it won’t be an issue. But let’s say, if I am the captain and I want to achieve something, then I will talk to you and share my vision and plan and also convince you to join me in the journey and if needed also assure you of taking care of everything,” he said, adding with a smile, “Me coming to the team and you wanting me in the team are two different things, and if such a situation comes where we (the team and the player) feel that I am needed, then I will think about it…”

In July last year, Tamim suddenly retired from international cricket and then reversed his decision. But in August, he resigned from captaincy, and Shakib Al Hasan succeeded him.

Even though it was reported that a back issue drove both decisions, Tamim said, “It has been quite a journey to be honest. I never thought that I wouldn’t be playing for Bangladesh. Back then, I was aiming to play the Champions Trophy and then decide on my career, but then, a lot of things happened which were not planned. It wasn’t nice either…”

In September last year, on the eve of Bangladesh’s World Cup squad announcement, Shakib and Tamim had a meeting at the residence of the then BCB chief Nazmul Hassan. However, to everyone’s surprise, Tamim’s name did not feature in the squad.

“You can have bad relationships, or there could be differences with people, but when it comes to the national interest, everybody should be one and there should not be any vindictiveness. Unfortunately, that happened.

“I’m a very emotional person and whatever happened to me during those days, I did not take it nicely and decided to step away,” Tamim said.

Watch out for the full interview