It was under extraordinary circumstances that ODI captain Tamim Iqbal had announced his shock retirement on Thursday and, just as surprisingly, he withdrew his decision to retire from international cricket the following day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention.
Last evening, some 28 hours after his announcement, the situation changed drastically.
The Prime Minister had invited Tamim to Gono Bhobon, instructing former skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to get her in touch with the Bangladesh’s incumbent ODI captain. Tamim and his wife Ayesha Siddiqa, accompanied by Mashrafe, entered the residence around 2:30 PM and BCB president Nazmul Hassan came in at around 4:10 PM.
Following a three-and-a-half-hour meeting, Tamim came out to announce that he was withdrawing his retirement.
“The honourable PM invited me to her home this afternoon. We discussed for a long time with her and she instructed me to return to the game. So, I am withdrawing my retirement from this moment because I can say no to everyone, but it’s impossible to say no to the greatest leader in the country,” Tamim told the media on Friday.
Tamim also informed that he was taking a one-and-a-half month’s leave from the game in order to get required treatment for his injury.
“Papon bhai and Mashrafe bhai were big, big factors. Mashrafe bhai took me along and Papon bhai was with me. The Prime Minister has given me one-and-half-month time off in case I require treatment or if I need to get mentally free. I can do that and play the games there are after one-and-a-half months,” he relayed.
The BCB president also briefed the media on the incredible developments. He had said on Thursday that he still considered Tamim the captain of the ODI team as he had not received a letter of resignation. However, the letter in question arrived on Friday morning.
“I had a feeling from seeing his [Tamim’s] press conference that he took a decision from an emotional point of view. I felt that if we could sit with him then maybe we could find a solution.
“Today, through the honourable Prime Minister’s involvement, we could sit with him. And, as he has told you, he is withdrawing his letter of retirement,” Hassan said.
“Yes a letter arrived today. Since he is not physically or mentally fit yet, that’s why he is taking time off. In these one-and-a-half-months, he will go for rehab and we are hoping he will return to cricket soon. It’s a relief for everyone. If our captain is not there, how will we play?” he further said.
Mashrafe later told The Daily Star that the responsibility bestowed on him by the Prime Minister was accomplished. Tamim, as it stands now, will return to the team ahead of the Asia Cup in September.
Mashrafe felt the issue of captaincy was best left to Tamim and the BCB president. “I don’t quite know about that [whether Tamim would take on captaincy again]. It’s up to them and they have discussed it. The main thing is that the Prime Minister wanted Tamim to play the World Cup. That’s final and that’s what happened,” he remarked.
Amidst the backdrop of an extraordinary evening, meanwhile, the Bangladesh cricket team, under Liton Das’ captaincy, prepared for the must-win second ODI against Afghanistan at Chattogram’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, hoping to level the series with a win.
