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Cricket

'World Cup ke pehle pehle bhaag liya' - Fans react as Tamim Iqbal announces retirement from International Cricket

Bangladesh ODI Skipper Tamim Iqbal announced his shock retirement after a loss to Afghanistan in the first ODI. Here's how fans reacted.

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Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh (Source: Twitter)

Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from International Cricket in a surprising turn of events. His retirement is even more shocking because it comes just three months prior to the ODI World Cup in India thus bringing curtains on a 16-year-long international career. Reportedly, Tamim was extremely emotional after his team’s loss to Afghanistan in the first of the three ODIs. Following this, he arranged for a press conference and announced his retirement to the media.

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"This is the end for me. I have given my best. I have tried my best. I am retiring from international cricket from this moment," Tamim said. "I want to thank all my teammates, coaches, BCB officials, my family members, and those who have been with me through my long journey. They kept faith in me. I also want to thank the fans. Your love and faith in me inspired me to give my very best for Bangladesh. I want to ask for your prayers for the next chapter of my life. Please keep me in your prayers," Tamim said.

Tamim Iqbal made his ODI debut in 2007

Tamim made his ODI debut in February 2007 as a teenager, and in Bangladesh's famous victory against India in the World Cup in the West Indies, he scored the game-winning half-century. He is the third-highest run-scorer among active cricketers, behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, with the most ODI runs (8313) and hundreds (14) for his nation. Moreover, Tamim was Bangladesh's second-best Test batsman, with 5134 runs at an average of 38.89 and ten hundreds in 70 games.

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Around the same time last year, Tamim, 34, announced his retirement from T20Is. Bangladesh's one-off encounter against Ireland in April served as his final Test. Shakib Al Hasan captains the squad in T20I matches, while Litton Das leads the side in tests. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has not yet appointed a replacement but it would be interesting to see who leads the team in the remaining games of the Afghanistan series. They open their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan itself on October 7.

Here's how fans reacted:

Bangladesh featured Tamim Iqbal Twitter Reactions