As the Bangladesh team prepares for the upcoming Zimbabwe series, the possibility of veteran opener Tamim Iqbal's return to international cricket remains unclear, reports UNB.
A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official offered little insight into the situation.
Tamim's last international appearance was in September of last year. Since then, a combination of injuries and his absence from the national team have kept him out of the team. Tamim's request late last year to be excluded from the new year's national contract suggested a potential end to his international career.
However, neither Tamim nor the BCB have made definitive statements about his future.
"Did Tamim say that he was coming back?" Jalal Yunus, chairman of cricket operations, countered when asked about Tamim's potential return. "We had no such discussion with Tamim."
Jalal also mentioned that he was tasked with discussing Tamim's future plans but declined to disclose the discussion's outcome. Instead, he said Tamim would meet with the board president to clarify his intentions. It was not clear when the anticipated meeting with Tamim and the board president would occur.
Tamim's strong performance in the recent Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where he led Fortune Barishal to their first title and was the season's top scorer, fueled speculation about a return to the T20I format. Tamim retired from T20Is but has not made any further announcements.
National team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed a desire to see Tamim back in international cricket. However, the overall situation surrounding Tamim's potential return remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Meanwhile, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official has refuted recent media speculation about head coach Chandika Hathurusingha's future with the Bangladesh team.
Reports suggesting Hathurusingha would not return to Bangladesh surfaced after he travelled to Australia, where his family resides, ahead of the Eid break and the final Test against Sri Lanka.
"There is no doubt," stated Jalal Yunus, BCB's chairman of cricket operations, when questioned about Hathurusingha. "Why should we doubt? We don't understand the reason behind (the speculation). Did we provide any statement (regarding Chandika)?"
Addressing the media at Mirpur on Wednesday, Jalal confirmed that the coaching staff will arrive in Dhaka ahead of the upcoming Zimbabwe T20Is. The head coach is scheduled to arrive on April 21, with the other coaches following by April 23.
He further indicated that the selectors will soon announce the squad for the Zimbabwe series and that the World Cup team will likely be based on the same group of players.
"The selectors are working on the squad for the Zimbabwe series," Jalal said. "As far as I know, they have been discussing the team composition and will finalise it soon."
National team players are currently participating in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. However, they will soon join the national squad in preparation for the Zimbabwe series, which begins on May 03, in Chattogram. The first three matches will take place in Chattogram, with the final two matches in Dhaka.
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