Former Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal revealed on Wednesday (September 27) that he asked the top officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board to not consider him for the upcoming World Cup after he was asked to skip or bat down the order in their opening game against Afghanistan.
In a video message on his official Facebook page after he was excluded from the World Cup-bound squad, the veteran batter said that he didn’t want to be part of what he called a “dirty game” from the BCB.
“A top-level official of the board who is involved with our cricket called me and told me that you will go to World Cup and we have to make you play by managing [your fitness],” Tamim said.
“He told, ‘do one thing, you don’t play the opening game against Afghanistan’. I told him look there is still 10 to 12 days and in 12-13 days I will be in good state so why I should not be playing?. Then he said, ‘if you play, we are planning to send you down the order.’
“You have to understand I’m coming from which mind set. I played a good innings after a while (against New Zealand) and I was happy about it. But all of a sudden these kinds of words were not something that I could take,” he said.
“I am playing in the same position for last 17 years and I never batted at three or four. If I was batting at three or four and later my batting position was changed up and down, in that case it could be adjusted. But I don’t have any experience batting at three and four position. Certainly I did not take it well. I was feeling that I am forced in lot of areas willingly, like it is going well let’s do something new [to irritate him]. That is what I was feeling.
“At that point I said that if you are thinking like this then don’t send me because I don’t want to be part of this dirty game. Later I have a spoken a lot with him that I don’t want disclose in this platform and I want it remain between the two of us. Still I told him that if these things happen don’t keep me because I don’t want to be part these dirty things.”
The veteran batter made a comeback in the New Zealand series after a protracted saga involving a back injury, a retirement u-turn and stepping down as captain. He did not bat in the series opener against New Zealand as the game was abandoned but made 44 in the second ODI but revealed after the match that he was still experiencing discomfort with his back.
During the official press conference after the team was announced, BCB’s selection panel members claimed that Tamim was not picked because he had injury issues. Tamim denied it and stated that the medical department had passed him fit to play without any conditions.
“According to the physio report, my condition was explained… like there was pain after the first game and there was pain after the second game and he is available for selection for the game on the 26th but medical department felt if I take rest we travel on the 27th… We have a practice game on 28 [29] and another one on 1st or 2nd and if I play the second practice game. If I take rest now and play the second practice game, I will have enough rest and overall I will have 10-week rehab and will be in good position to play the first game,” Tamim added.
“There was no where written [in the physio report] that I would be available for five matches or and cannot play and things like that. I am not denying that I had pain and basically this is what happened. I think what is coming in the media…about my injury or that I’m available for five matches… I don’t think it is largely responsible for my not going into the World Cup because I was not injured till now, there can be pain but I was not injured.”
