"Went through lean patch" - Tamim Iqbal's huge remark on Shakib Al Hasan after latter's serious accusations against BCB president

Former Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal hailed Shakib Al Hasan for his Man of the Match performance against the Netherlands in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. 

Bangladesh, under the captaincy of Najmul Hossain Shanto, were playing their 3rd Group D match in the 2024 T20 World Cup, taking place in the USA and West Indies. The Bangla Tigers have never been able to get past the second round of the mega T20 event and in this edition, the team will look to do the unthinkable. 

Bangladesh aiming to get past the Super 8s stages for the first time

They are already confirmed to proceed to the Super 8s, following their thumping win over the Netherlands yesterday. In the previous two games, Pakistan had won against Sri Lanka but lost to South Africa in the second group game. The Asians are all set to finish in the top 2 spots of Group D and they still have a game left in the group stages against Nepal.

The Bangla Tigers will undoubtedly try to beat Nepal in a few days' time but their main objective will be to try and qualify for the last 4. In order for that to happen, the form of Shakib Al Hasan will be very important and his performance against Netherlands was very positive for Bangladesh. 

What did Tamim Iqbal say about Shakib Al Hasan's performance against the Netherlands?

Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan are two names that are often associated with each other for all the wrong reasons. The leftie all-rounder has previously targeted the opening batsman for being selfish and for not thinking about the needs of the team. Their most recent verbal battle had come to the fore before the start of the 50-over Cricket World Cup last year in India. 

But in his latest interaction with ESPNcricinfo, Tamim Iqbal didn't seem to be bothered about his strained relationship with Shakib Al Hasan. Iqbal was asked if Shakib was able to justify his value for Bangladesh after becoming man of the match against the Dutch. 

"Did Shakib show the value of his experience today, coming good in a pressure game?" Tamim was asked. 

In response, Tamim Iqbal stated that everyone in Bangladesh and around the cricketing world knows about the importance of Shakib Al Hasan. Iqbal reminded Shakib has been playing cricket for the National team for the last 16-17 years and therefore he doesn't require any approval from anyone about his value. 

Tamim Iqbal claimed he was happy to see Shakib Al Hasan get over his temporary lean patch and that his innings against Netherlands was a thoughtful knock.

Also Read: Had intentions to keep it...' - Shakib Al Hasan takes a dig at BCB president as he breaks silence on rift with Tamim Iqbal

"See, for me he never had to show his value. We all know his value. He has been doing it for 16-17 years for Bangladesh. He went through a lean patch. There was a lot of criticism. There's a lot of talk about it. Overall, it was a very well-placed innings and he batted to the end and that was the most important thing in this wicket," Tamim Iqbal concluded.  

'Shakib never had to show his value' @TamimOfficial28 | #TimeOut pic.twitter.com/EK75lasxzy

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 14, 2024