“I have been away from international cricket for a long time,” he wrote on Facebook. “The distance will be maintained. My period of international cricket is over. I have been thinking about this for a long time. Now that a big event like the Champions Trophy is coming up, I don’t want to be the focus of anyone’s attention. Of course, this has happened before as well. I didn’t want this to happen.
“Captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto has sincerely asked me to return to the team. There was also discussion with the selection committee. Thank you for still considering me in the team. But I listened to my heart.”
“I pulled out of my BCB central contract a long time ago because I didn’t want to return to international cricket,” he wrote. “A lot of people have said I’ve put this on the back burner. Why would I discuss a cricketer who is no longer on the BCB contract list? I stepped down voluntarily over a year ago.
“After that there were unnecessary discussions. It is the right of a cricketer or any professional sportsperson to decide whether to retire or continue. I have given myself time. I feel the time has come.”
Almost 18 months ago, Tamim announced his retirement at a press conference, but suffered several setbacks. After Tamim made his announcement, Hasina tracked him down and asked him to retire the next day. Tamim obliged, but soon stepped down from the ODI captaincy. Tamim played two ODIs in September 2023 as the Minhajul Abedin-led national selectors prepared for the ODI World Cup.
“What happened before the 2023 World Cup was a huge shock to me because I never left the team because of cricket,” Tamim added in his post. “Afterwards, many cricket fans told me they would like to see me return to the national team. It made me think of their love.
“I also have fans at home. My son has never said that directly to me, but he has repeatedly told his mother that he wants to see his father play for the national team again. I am sorry for disappointing the fans. He said, ‘You “When you grow up, you will understand your father,” he said.
