One can never fall to boredom when following what transpires in Bangladesh cricket.
The decision-making process, in particular, as well as the outcomes, often relating to simple issues, are commonly shrouded in mystery, most of it done unnecessarily.
Say for example, Tamim Iqbal’s retire-unretire conundrum that has yet to come to a long-awaited resolution.
It almost seems that the former ODI skipper has been playing hard to get with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after his retirement quandary as no one from the board can say for certain what the left-hander plans to do regarding his future in the national team.
Tamim himself did not speak about his future previously but on Friday the southpaw was caught on camera affirming that he was indeed done with the national team.
During a conversation with Chittagong Kings mentor Shahid Afridi that took place in a hotel room in Dhaka, Afridi causally asked, “Tamim, you’ve completely retired, finished?” to which Tamim answered, “Yes, from the national team.”
The 35-year-old has not played for Bangladesh since September 2023 and has not retired from ODIs and Tests. And now it seems that everyone apart from the BCB knows that Tamim won’t be making a comeback to the national team but it can be expected that he would not be conveying this message to the BCB anytime soon. With the Champions Trophy coming up next month, it can be assumed that the possibility of Tamim’s inclusion into the side could continue to cause further stirs.
On the other hand, ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has had to see the other side of the coin. He has kept himself available and shown willingness to play but faces an uncertain and tricky situation in assignments at home due to security concerns for his involvement with the ousted Awami League government. Shakib’s involvement in the Champions Trophy is still up in the air as he has not played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup in India.
“Since the Champions Trophy is not at home, we will decide about it [Shakib’s involvement] at some point during the BPL,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed told reporters on Friday.
“Shakib still has not retired. Nothing of that sort has happened to him. He often talks about his issues with the ministry and it is up to them to solve his issues. (If those issues are solved), there is his fitness, mental state, and the selection committee (to consider),” Faruque added, keeping more grey areas than required regarding the Shakib issue.
There is little clarity from the BCB in what it is looking to do with Shakib and Tamim, keeping the Champions Trophy in mind. A hiatus the duo has had in the format should definitely have prompted any other board to make clear cut decisions but the BCB works in its own pace and has its own mysterious ways of doing things that often lack clarity.
Daily Star
