Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket at a press conference earlier today (July 6) in Bangladesh. The left-handed batter played the last match of his career as a captain against Afghanistan yesterday.
Iqbal became quite emotional at the press conference. The video of him breaking down into tears has surfaced on social media platforms. The Bangladesh star would have been heartbroken to have missed out on a chance to lead his nation in the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup in 2023.
A Twitter user shared the video on his profile earlier today, where Tamim Iqbal broke down into tears. Here is the clip:
Bangladesh cricket fans became quite emotional as well when their star player announced retirement suddenly. A video of a fan crying after Iqbal’s retirement has also surfaced on social media.
You can watch it here:
Why did Tamim Iqbal retire from international cricket?
Iqbal was a member of the Bangladesh squad in multiple world tournaments. He did a decent job as the captain as well, leading the nation to 21 wins in ODI cricket. Many fans expected him to continue as the Bangladesh ODI captain at least until the Cricket World Cup, which will be held in October and November later this year.
However, much to the disappointment of Bangladesh fans, Iqbal has retired now. The left-handed batter said that he had made up his mind to retire before only. Although he mentioned that there were some reasons behind his decision, he did not disclose any of them.
“It was not a sudden decision. I was thinking about the different reasons. I don’t want to mention here. I have spoken to my family members about it. I thought this is the right time for me to retire from international cricket,” said Iqbal.
Bangladesh have not named Tamim Iqbal’s successor yet. The second ODI of the Bangladesh vs Afghanistan series will take place on Saturday.