Tamim Iqbal And Shakib Al Hasan's International Career In Jeopardy? BCB Provides Massive Update On Veteran Cricketers Amid World Cup 2023

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is reportedly seeking clarification from senior players Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal regarding their future roles in the national cricket team. Bangladesh is currently entering a transitional phase due to the aging of some key players.

Shakib Al Hasan expressed his intention to retire from international cricket gradually, opting to step down from one format at a time. The all-rounder is unavailable for the World Cup 2023 match against Australia and the Test series against New Zealand at home.

Tamim Iqbal has decided not to participate in the series against New Zealand, stating that he lacks the necessary preparation. The veteran opener is also not part of the Bangladesh team’s World Cup 2023 squad, as he allegedly declined to play in the middle order.

Shakib Al Hasan Has A Plan And We Need To Be Clear – BCB Official

An anonymous BCB official mentioned that Shakib Al Hasan is unavailable for the New Zealand series due to injury, and the board wants clarification on his future leadership roles and preferred formats.

“Shakib is unavailable [for the NZ series] due to injury. He has a plan and we need to be clear about it in terms of his leadership roles and what formats they [Shakib and Tamim] want to go ahead with,” a BCB official told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.

Tamim Iqbal Will Not Be Available For New Zealand Series – Jalal Yunus

Cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus stated that Tamim Iqbal has not been training for a month, making him unavailable for the series. Jalal Yunus mentioned that Tamim’s future steps will be communicated later.

“Tamim informed us that he has not been training for the last one month. Since he has not worked out or done any preparations, he will not be available in the series. He will let us know about his next steps later,” Jalal Yunus told The Daily Star.

We Aren’t Negative About Liton Das – BCB Official

BCB is concerned about Litton Das’ ‘wavering concentration’ due to personal issues, and he has left the squad twice during the World Cup. Litton Das has struggled to maintain focus and often loses his wicket after promising starts.

“We aren’t negative about Liton but for some reason, he has lost a bit of focus on everything,” a BCB official close to the development said.

Bangladesh had a disappointing World Cup campaign, suffering six losses. They managed victories against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. They are currently in eighth place in the table with four points, putting their spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy in jeopardy.

Also read: PAK vs BAN: Shakib Al Hasan Believes Open Dispute With Tamim Iqbal Might Have Had An Effect On Team’s Performance In World Cup 2023