"I am not someone who would come back for the heck of it and then play just 4 or 5 games" - Tamim Iqbal prioritizes purpose for potential comeback
Legendary Bangladesh batter Tamim Iqbal could not bow out of cricket on his own terms last year, and is now stranded in a weird place where there is room for a potential comeback. The odds of the veteran opener making a return have increased with the newly appointed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Faruque Ahmed encouraging the idea.
Tamim Iqbal had stepped away from international cricket in 2023, but was encouraged to reverse his decision by powerful figures like the then-president Sheikh Hasina and former captain Mashrafe Mortaza. However, his second life has not been a fruitful one. A rather escalated spat with skipper Shakib Al Hasan regarding his batting position, led to his absence from the 2023 ODI World Cup.
With Tamim technically still an active player in the longer formats, there is room for him to make a comeback and make an impact in his twilight years. However, he feels that his potential return should have some meaning behind it for it to make sense.
“The way I finished, it wasn’t pleasant. So, for me to come back and play, I need to have a purpose. I am not someone who would come back for the heck of it and then play just four or five games. What is the point? Everybody says, ‘Come back, we want you’, but if I turn up for five games, will that help Bangladesh cricket? If there is a proper plan in terms of what they want to do and achieve, then I can think about it and we can talk accordingly," Tamim Iqbal told Sportstar.
Bangladesh have had relatively set opening combinations in both Tests and ODIs of late, but Tamim Iqbal's experience would be welcome in a batting unit still finding its way amid a major transition.
The 35-year-old even revealed the right way for the board to approach him and convince him to return, with the 2025 Champions Trophy being a key factor.
"If they (the BCB) tell me that we want to win the Champions Trophy or at least we want to qualify for the semifinals, and this will probably be the last tournament that the three or four senior players would play regardless of whatever the differences are and that the BCB will fix it. This is the way to approach people,” Tamim added.
Bangladesh qualified for the eight-nation tournament after finishing eighth in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
"Do I play for the cricket board, or do I play for the team?" - Tamim Iqbal
There is also the topic of Tamim Iqbal returning to a potentially well-set Bangladesh outfit in Najmul Hossain Shanto's regime. The team have been doing reasonably well in the recent past, qualifying for the Super 8 stage in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and defeating Pakistan 2-0 away from home in Tests.
Tamim admitted that he is unsure of how his colleagues would welcome him after a long absence, and that everything should be perfect in order for him to consider a return.
“Yeah, obviously. But the thing is - do I play for the cricket board, or do I play for the team? Where should this approach (request) come from? The cricket board looks after me but the players also need to be welcoming," Tamim said in the aforementioned interview.
He also opened up on missing out on the 2023 ODI World Cup squad despite meeting with skipper Shakib Al Hasan in the presence of then-BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon, seemingly ending the dispute.
“You can have bad relationships, or there could be differences with people, but when it comes to the national interest, everybody should be one and there should not be any vindictiveness. Unfortunately, that happened," Tamim concluded.
Tamim Iqbal is currently working as a broadcaster in the ongoing Test series between India and Bangladesh.