Tamim Iqbal left out of Bangladesh’s 2023 ODI WC Squad

Dhaka [Bangladesh]: Bangladesh ODI skipper and star player Tamim Iqbal will miss the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 in India after the player complained of discomfort in his back following the New Zealand match, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief selector Minhajul Abedin said that they are well aware of Tamim’s back injury. The chief selector also added that the 34-year-old complained after the first ODI match against New Zealand and the decision to keep him out of the squad was taken after discussing with him.

“We are all aware that Tamim Iqbal is a long-term injury concern. He returned for the New Zealand series. After the first match, there was a bit of a complaint. We thought of his injury concern when not taking him in the squad. We have spoken to all concerned, before taking this decision. We discussed it with Tamim. We can’t tell you what we spoke about.

We discussed it with the team management and didn’t want to take a risk in a long World Cup campaign. It is a very important event,” Minhajul Abedin said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Abedin said that the team management would be in an uncomfortable situation if any players got injured in the forthcoming ODI World Cup.

“You can’t take risks with some injuries,” Abedin said. “If someone gets injured in the World Cup, it will get the team management into an uncomfortable situation. He played the first two matches, but we had to rest him. He had a bit of pain after the second game. We considered this before taking the decision,” he added.

“Tamim is one of our best players but an injury concern restricts his ability. He had suffered with back pain for a long time so the New Zealand series was a chance to check his fitness. He played the second game fully, but he didn’t play the third match. We discussed it with the medical team, after which we took the decision,” he added.

Tamim missed the Asia Cup 2023 due to injury concerns and was returned to the squad in the New Zealand ODI series. He scored 44 runs in the second ODI against the Kiwis on September 2.

Bangladesh will start their ODI World Cup 2023 journey against Afghanistan on October 7 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.

Bangladesh’s ODI World Cup Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (vice-capt), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzid Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Mahmudullah.