Tamim Iqbal announces shock retirement ahead of this year’s World Cup campaign

Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s one-day captain, calls it quits after a 16-year international career

Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal will step down (AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh one-day captain Tamim Iqbal announced his shock retirement from international cricket on Thursday, three months before the team begins its 50-overs World Cup campaign in India.

The 34-year-old was in tears as he announced his decision to end his 16-year international career in a news conference.

"This is the end for me," Tamim, who made his international debut in a 2007 ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare, told reporters. "I have given my best. I have tried my best. I am retiring from international cricket from this moment.

"Yesterday against Afghanistan was my last international game. It was not a sudden decision. I was thinking about the different reasons. I don’t want to mention here. I have spoken to my family members about it. I thought this is the right time for me to retire from international cricket.

"I don’t have much to say. One thing I will definitely say is, I tried my best (sobbing). I did try my best. Maybe I was not good enough or good enough. I don’t know. But I tried my 100 percent whenever I was in the field.”

The Bangladeshi team, whose World Cup campaign begins on Oct. 7 against Afghanistan in Dharamsala, is yet to reveal who will lead the side after Tamim’s exit.

A leading contender is Shakib Al Hasan, who captains the T20 side. Left-handed opener Tamim has scored 15,000-plus runs in international cricket, including 25 centuries. His ODI tally of 8,313 runs is the highest by a Bangladesh batsman and his 14 centuries in this format is also higher than any of his compatriots.

In Test cricket, Tamim Iqbal accumulated 5134 runs, the second-highest tally in Bangladesh’s history. Tamim skipped the one-off test against Afghanistan last month with a stiff back and scored 13 in Wednesday’s one-day international against Afghanistan in Chattogram, in what turned out his last international outing.

Reuters