Tamim Iqbal loses out on central contract after pulling out of T20 World Cup
Bangladesh's veteran opener Tamim Iqbal has lost out on his central contract after opting out of the forthcoming 2021 T20 World Cup. The southpaw, who is also the team's ODI captain, withdrew his name from this year's marquee event on Wednesday.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan Papon confirmed the same through a public statement. The central contract is effective from May and will be valid until December of this year.
Papon reckons that since Tamim Iqbal ruled himself out of the impending showpiece event and, as Bangladesh are not scheduled to feature in a T20 series until December, the star batsman had to miss out.
However, he confirmed that the left-hander will hold a central contract for ODIs and Test matches. Furthermore, T20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad was excluded from the contract list for Tests.
Papon cited Mahmudullah's Test retirement as the reason for him missing out on the longer format. He also confirmed that Tamim Iqbal could be added to the list if he is ready to take part in T20I matches again.
Tamim Iqbal makes himself unavailable for this year's World T20
In a conversation with Naifu Kabir, a Bangladeshi journalist, Tamim Iqbal announced that while he won't be available for the T20 World Cup in the UAE, he still has not retired from the format. The prolific run-scorer added that since he has not been a part of the team's recent T20I fixtures, it would be unfair if he walks into the team in place of someone who has been doing well in his absence.
Click here to know about ICC T20 World Cup 2021 host and who will be hosting the next T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh dominate New Zealand in the T20I series opener
The Bangladesh cricket team, who are currently playing a five-match T20I series at home against New Zealand, showcased brilliant form in the opening contest. The home side claimed a clinical 7-wicket victory to go 1-0 up in the series after bundling out the Kiwis for a paltry score of 60 runs.
It is worth mentioning that it is also Bangladesh's first-ever T20I win against the Black Caps.