Bangladesh's senior batter Tamim Iqbal announces T20I retirementÂ
Bangladesh's veteran batter Tamim Iqbal has drawn curtains on his T20I career. The left-hander made the announcement of his retirement through a social media post earlier today (July 17).
Iqbal, who is currently Bangladesh's ODI captain, has been on a break from T20Is since January. The seasoned campaigner last represented his national side in the shortest format in March 2020 against Zimbabwe.
He posted on Facebook:
"Consider me retired from T-20 international from today."
The southpaw's announcement came shortly after Bangladesh's 3-0 ODI series victory against West Indies. The senior batter showcased stunning form in the rubber, scoring 117 runs from three games. He was also named the Player of the Series for his batting exploits.
A look at Tamim Iqbal's stats in T20I cricket
Tamim Iqbal made his T20I debut in September 2007 against Kenya. He went on to feature in 78 T20Is for his team and finished with 1758 runs. The southpaw is the only Bangaldeshi batter to have a T20I century to his name.
The player slammed an impressive ton against Oman during the 2016 T20 World Cup. Furthermore, with 295 runs from six matches, he was the leading run-getter in the edition of the ICC event.
The star batter decided to take a break from the shortest format in January in order to focus on ODIs and Test cricket. Notably, he had also pulled out of the T20 World in Cup 2021.
Here's what he had said on Janurary 27 during a press conference:
"My full focus will be on Tests and ODIs. We are preparing to qualify for the World Test Championship and 2023 World Cup. I will not think about T20 in the next six months. I hope the players will do so well that the team will not need me in T20. But if God forbid the team or the cricket board needs me and I am ready then I will think about it."
Tamim Iqbal is expected to continue playing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The swashbuckler is the highest run-getter in the history of the franchise-based T20 competition, with 2628 runs from 79 games.