Tamim Iqbal retires from international cricket three months before ODI World Cup 2023

In what has come as a shocking move, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal on Thursday announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, three months ahead of the ODI World Cup in India.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, an emotional Tamim made the announcement during a press conference in Chattogram, one day after Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan in a rain-shortened first ODI.

The 34-year-old, who made his international debut in February 2007 during an ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare, has gone onto play 241 ODIs till date. Tamim has scored 8313 runs in the 50-over format with an average of 36.62.

Tamim has also played 70 Tests and 78 T20Is, having scored 5134 runs and 1738 runs in the two formats respectively.

Tamim Iqbal had taken over as Bangladesh ODI skipper in 2020, from Mashrafe Mortaza. Shakib Al Hasan is currently leading Bangladesh’s T20I side while Litton Das captains the team in Tests.

With 8313 ODI runs, Iqbal is Bangladesh’s leading run-getter in the format while he also leads the country’s chart for most ODI hundreds (14).

One of Tamim’s highest points in his career was his half-century in Bangladesh’s famous win over India at the 2007 ODI World Cup.

Tamim also won 21 out of 37 matches as the captain of the Bangladesh ODI team, while also helping his team secure automatic qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup.