Tamim to return to nat'l team next year, says Sports Minister

Bangladesh's sports minister and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon hinted Tamim Iqbal's return to the national team next year during a media interaction in Savar on Monday, reports UNB.

Tamim has been absent from the national team for a considerable period. Prior to the last Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) season, he stated he would consider his return after the tournament. However, he remained silent on the matter for months following the T20 league. The BCB also offered no definitive updates about Tamim's international comeback.

BCB's chief selector, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, recently ruled out the possibility of Tamim's return for the upcoming T20I World Cup in June (USA and the West Indies). Amidst uncertainty surrounding Tamim's international career, board president Nazmul Hasan revealed that Tamim may return next year. "Tamim discussed his potential return with Jalal Yunus and others. He will now meet with me," Nazmul said, indicating he'd heard of Tamim's intention to return next year.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team is now focused on preparing for a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, starting on May 03 in Chattogram. The BCB has announced a 17-member preliminary preparation squad for the Zimbabwe series.