5 best Tamim Iqbal knocks in ODIs
Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on Thursday, July 6. The left-handed opener surprised everyone by retiring only three months before the World Cup in India.
Tamim Iqbal had a 16-year-long international career, during which he established himself as one of the greatest Bangladeshi cricketers of all time. The left-hander had an illustrious ODI career, scoring 8313 runs in 241 matches at an average of 36.62 and a strike rate of 78.54 with 14 centuries and 56 half-centuries to his name.
On that note, here's a look at his five best performances in the 50-over format.
#1 125 (120) vs England, Mirpur, 2010
English skipper Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to field in the first ODI of the series. Iqbal got his side to a terrific start as Bangladesh raced to 63 runs in only 9.2 overs. However, the hosts collapsed to 82/3, which soon became 146/6 inside 30 overs.
Tamim Iqbal brought up his half-century off just 32 deliveries. However, none of the other batters in the top five managed to reach the 20-run mark. Iqbal didn't get any support against a solid English attack comprising Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, and Ryan Sidebottom. Iqbal hit 13 fours and three sixes in his three-hour stay at the crease as the Tigers were eventually bowled out for 228 runs in 45.4 overs.
However, his monumental effort went in vain as the visitors won the game by six wickets and four overs to spare.
#2 128 (142) vs England, The Oval, 2017
England won the toss and elected to field first in the first game of Group A in the 2017 Champions Trophy. Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar added 56 runs for the first wicket in 12 overs.
Iqbal shared a crucial 166-run partnership with wicket-keeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim for the third wicket. This gave the visitors a solid base against one of the best teams in the world on their home soil. Iqbal anchored the innings brilliantly, hitting 12 fours and three sixes in the process.
Bangladesh scored 305 runs in their 50 overs for the loss of six wickets. However, it did not prove to be enough as Joe Root (133*), Eoin Morgan (75*), and Alex Hales (95) ensured a comfortable win for Team England.
#3 60 (42) vs India, Mirpur, 2010
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat first in the third match of the Tri-Nation series (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh). Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes opened the batting for the hosts, adding 80 runs in just 11 overs.
Iqbal played a blistering innings. He was the major aggressor in the opening partnership, hitting 10 fours and one six in his short stay at the crease. The left-handed batter took on the likes of Ashish Nehra, Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan.
However, Sreesanth ended up dismissing him in the 11th over of the innings. Bangladesh set a highly competitive target of 297, which was chased down comfortably by India thanks to match-winning contributions from MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
#4 112 (136) vs Sri Lanka, Hambantota, 2013
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field first in the first match of the series. The visitors were reduced to 63/3 by the 13th over, with Tamim Iqbal the only top-order batter yet to be dismissed by SL's potent bowling unit.
Iqbal and Mahmudullah stitched together a crucial 66-run stand, after which Mahmudullah edged a length ball outside off stump. Nasir Hossain then played a terrific hand, scoring an unbeaten 73 off 59 balls.
Iqbal played the anchor role to perfection, batting till the 44th over. His presence allowed Hossain to play freely and take the attack to the opposition. However, Sri Lanka won the match by eight wickets with 5.2 overs to spare (via D/L method).
#5 130*(160) vs West Indies, Guyana, 2018
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first on a dry wicket at the Providence Stadium. They got off to a shaky start, losing Anamul Haque in the second over of the innings.
All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who came in at number 3, and Tamim Iqbal added 207 runs in 43 overs. The partnership involved a lot of running between the wickets. Tamim Iqbal hit 10 fours and three sixes, batting till the end of the innings.
Mushfiqur Rahim provided a fiery end to the innings with 30 runs off 11 deliveries as the Tigers set a target of 280 for the Windies. Bangladesh eventually won the match by 48 runs.