Mashrafe Mortaza Breaks His Silence On Tamim Iqbal's Absence From Bangladesh's ICC World Cup 2023 Squad

Tami Iqbal was not a part of Bangladesh’s ICC World Cup 2023 squad that was announced on September 16. Shakib Al Hasan will lead the 15-member side with the likes of Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah among the veterans included.

Bangladesh lost the ODI series against New Zealand after enduring a disappointing Asia Cup 2023 campaign, Tamim was a part of the squad for the series while Shakib was rested. Litton Das led the side in the series.

Tamim Iqbal played only the second ODI scoring 44 runs in the game. He also complained of back pain after the end of the game. He was thus referred to as ‘partially fit’ and not included in the squad.

Chief selector Minhajul Abedin spoke about Tamim’s condition and said that they did not want to risk him playing with an injury in an event like the World Cup.

“We are all aware that Tamim Iqbal is a long-term injury concern. He returned for the New Zealand series. After the first match, there was a bit of a complaint. We thought of his injury concern when not taking him in the squad,” chief selector Minhajul Abedin said.

He further said that he had a clear communication with Tamim in this regard and the other important persons concerned.

“We have spoken to all concerned, before taking this decision. We discussed it with Tamim. We can’t tell you what we spoke about. We discussed it with the team management and didn’t want to take a risk in a long World Cup campaign. It is a very important event” the Chief Selector further said.

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Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza now has kept his side on the matter. He said there is confusion surrounding Tamim’s snub from the squad. He further said that there is a difference between someone being out of the team and someone not wanting to be with the team.

Tamim Iqbal Did Not Want to Stay In The Team: Mashrafe Mortaza

“Tamim dropped, actually the truth is Tamim did not want to stay in the team. There is a huge difference between keeping someone out of the team and opting not to be in the team. I think Tamim deserves this minimum respect” the former Bangladesh captain said.

“Now there would be the question as to why Tamim was not interested to be in the team. Actually, I have no answer to this question. Only Tamim can say this. Maybe he will say it someday, then we can understand,” Mashrafe elaborated.

Bangladesh begin their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on October 7. They play their last league game against Australia on November 12.

Bangladesh’s ICC World Cup 2023 Squad

Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Sakib, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

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