Veteran Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has pulled himself out of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in the UAE and Oman, starting October 17. However, he has confirmed that he has no intentions to retire from the shortest format.
Tamim Iqbal, who hasn’t featured in the last 15 matches for Bangladesh in the T20 format, feels it will be unfair to the other openers as they are doing very well constantly especially in his absence.
BREAKING : Tamim Iqbal announces he won’t be available for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021. He thinks it’ll be unfair to the other openers as they are doing very well constantly specially in his absence !!#T20WorldCup2021#BANvNZ
— Nafiu Kabir (@NafiuKaabir) September 1, 2021
“I’m not retiring. I just won’t be available for this WC. And It’s fair cause the young openers have been playing for the last 15/16 T20Is. I can not just come in & take their place. It’d be unfair. And I believe they have more to offer than me,” Tamim Iqbal as per Naifu Kabir, a Bangladesh-based journalist.
Tamim Iqbal further reiterated that he will stick with his decision and has also made himself available for the future bilateral series.
“To the media, please no phone calls, no WhatsApp messages. I have taken my decision & I’ll stick to it. I always do what I feel is right & this is what I’ve felt this time. I’ll be available for other bilateral T20 series in the future. So see you all soon,” he added.
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Bangladesh to open their Qualifiers campaign against Oman
The Bangla Tigers will open their campaign against Scotland on October 17 in the Qualifiers of the ICC T20 World Cup. Bangladesh are pitted against Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Scotland in the initial group stages.
Mark your calendars ✍️
The ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup 2021 – Round 1 fixtures 👇 pic.twitter.com/0nXFtMOM9W
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) August 17, 2021
After the Scotland tie, Bangladesh will take on Oman on October 19 and Papua New Guinea on October 21. Bangladesh will have their work cut out if they aim for the main stages of the T20 World Cup. However, they will be oozing with confidence after thrashing Australia in the recently concluded five-match T20I series.
