Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal on Sunday took a swipe at national team management for not communicating with him regarding his international future in the T20 format.
Tamim took a six-month break from T20s on January 27 and it is not yet clear whether he will be available for the T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia from October.
“Nobody gives me a chance to explain my plan regarding my T20s. Either you [media] say it or someone else tells it [regarding my T20’s future] and let it move like this because I am not given any chance [by the board] to tell anything,” Tamim told reporters during a private function at Dhaka on Sunday.
“I play for so long at least I deserve it, what I feel or think they should hear it from me,” he said. “But either you [media] give some kind of notion or someone (board) else tells something. And as they say something I don’t have anything to say,” he added.
Tamim’s announcement that he was not communicated with contradicts BCB cricket operation chairman Jalal Yunus’ claims to the media that they have spoken with him about his T20 plan. BCB officials had insisted that they are trying to convince him to change his mind and make a comeback in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
On May 17, Jalal told reporters at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram at the press box after Tamim’s Test hundred against Sri Lanka that they are waiting for an answer from the left-handed opener regarding his T20 plan.
“Tamim Iqbal is one of the senior players on our side and he understands his position better than anyone else. You all know we had a meeting with him regarding this. He had told you [media] exclusively about his plan and now what we have to say. After completing the six months, he will officially tell you about his decision and you will know through him about his plan and I can’t say anything about it,” Jalal told reporters at the ZACS press box when his attention was drawn regarding Tamim.
“We have tried during the last three to four months [to make a return] and he said that he had taken the decision considering his career and future and we pay full respect to that,” he added trying to prove their willingness to bring him back in the shorter format.
Tamim also brushed aside any possibility of batting down the batting order despite batting coach Jamie Siddons recently opining that he could be a fantastic number four and they can give it a thought if they can get a proper replacement at the top.
“What do you think? I should bat at number four or I should open?” Tamim asked.
“About me batting four I don't see any reason why should I bat at number four. I have been opening for 17 years and I have been doing quite well. So there is no chance (me batting at four),” he said. Tamim added that new Test captain Shakib al Hasan should be given enough time to prove his credential as a leader.
“I played under his captaincy twice, very early before 2011 and last time when he did and it is not rocket science. We all know that he had a very good cricketing brain and I am sure captaining the Test team is not easy as not many results come in our favour in this format,” said Tamim.
“But as I always said that when I was the captain, I said ‘you need to give me a lot of time’ and the same goes for Shakib. You need to give him a lot of time and you cannot be impatient because this is one format that we are not very strong in. With his leadership planning and everything along with support from all of us maybe in two years three years we will become a good Test team,” he added.
