Tamim Iqbal takes six-month break

CHATTOGRAM: Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal on Thursday said that he is taking a break from international T20 cricket for the next six months, effectively staying out of contention for the T20 World Cup later this year.

Tamim, however, said that he could reconsider this decision if the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) asks him again before the World Cup. Though he doesn't believe it will be required.

The 32-year-old made the announcement following his discussions with top BCB officials including president Nazmul Hassan, who tried to dissuade him from taking the decision.

Tamim had been mostly away from Bangladesh's T20I side for the past 12 months. His last T20I was against Zimbabwe in 2020, after which he missed the rest of the three-match series due to a knee injury.

He also voluntarily pulled out of the tournament of last year's T20 World Cup, in order to give the other openers like Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Naim opportunities.Tamim said at the time that since he missed the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, it was only fair for him to skip the tournament.

In a press conference in Chattogram on Thursday, the opener said that it was a cricketing decision, and that his focus is on Tests and ODIs this year, but he will only reconsider T20Is if circumstances get difficult for the team. IANS

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