World Cup 2023: Bangladesh announce 15-member squad, Tamim Iqbal left out of the team

Bangladesh have announced their 15-member squad for the World Cup 2023 which includes the surprising exclusion of Tamim Iqbal due to a persistent back injury. Shakib Al Hasan will captain the side and the team will hope to script some upsets in the competition beating big teams.

Dhaka (Bangladesh): Bangladesh ODI skipper and star player Tamim Iqbal will miss the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 in India after the player complained of discomfort in his back following the New Zealand match, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief selector Minhajul Abedin said that they are well aware of Tamim's back injury. The chief selector also added that the 34-year-old complained after the first ODI match against New Zealand and the decision to keep him out of the squad was taken after discussing with him.

"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. 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," Minhajul Abedin said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Abedin said that the team management would be in an uncomfortable situation if any players got injured in the forthcoming ODI World Cup. "You can't take risks with some injuries Abedin said. If someone gets injured in the World Cup, it will get the team management into an uncomfortable situation. He played the first two matches, but we had to rest him. He had a bit of pain after the second game. We considered this before taking the decision," he explained.

The 34-year-old also stated that the decision was taken after a discussion with the medical team.

"Tamim is one of our best players but an injury concern restricts his ability. He had suffered from back pain for a long time so the New Zealand series was a chance to check his fitness. He played the second game fully, but he didn't play the third match. We discussed it with the medical team, after which we took the decision," he concluded.

Bangladesh's ODI World Cup Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (vice-capt), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Mahmudullah. (ANI)