Hyderabad:Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has drawn curtains on his international career for the second time in a span of 18 months. The left-handed batter previously bid farewell to international cricket in July 2023 in an emotionally charged press conference. Tamim made his Bangladesh debut in 2007 and featured in 70 Tests, 243 ODIs and 78 T20Is for the national side.
The southpaw reversed his decision within 24 hours two years back after the intervention of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The 35-year-old informed about his decision to selectors on Wednesday. Although the Gazi Ashraf Hossain-led panel was urging him to rejoin the national side for the upcoming Champions Trophy, Tamim was firm around his decision. Tamim announced his retirement through a Facebook post.
"I have been away from international cricket for a long time. That distance will remain. My chapter in international cricket is over. I have been thinking about this for a long time. Now that a big event like the Champions Trophy is coming up, I do not want to be the focus of anyone's attention, which could lead to the team losing their focus. Of course, I did not want this to happen before, too,” Tamim wrote on Facebook.