People’s opinion on the retirement of cricketer Tamim Iqbal

On Thursday, 6 July, 2023 Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket. Having been one of the key players of the Bangladesh cricket team for quite a long time, it came as a shock and fans across the country had all sorts of emotions and reactions to the announcement.

Welcoming the decision

"Considering his age and recent form, such a decision should be applauded. He could have stayed as the captain until the world cup but thinking about the team first, he was able to take such a decision," said one Md Shamim, a banker from Cumilla. "But instead of goodbye through a press conference, it would have been better if he said goodbye on the pitch," added Shamim.

Others who agreed with the decision had different reasons for it. "We've been talking about the five pandavs of Bangladesh for so long, but how long are we going to be dependent on just these players? It's time to move on. I think Tamim's decision will open doors for other players and they will get a chance to develop, something we desperately need," said one Kabir Ahmed from Farmgate, Dhaka.

Questioning the prudence

Imjamul Al-Rocktim, a semi-professional player from Ishwardi, Pabna was questioning on the wisdom behind such a big decision. He said, "The Bangladesh cricket team has such a structure that it is difficult for a new player to just emerge out of the pipeline quickly. Maybe new players and even great players will come eventually but that takes time. With the World Cup on the horizon, I think Tamim is still a crucial player for the team."

Rocktim was not the only one asking these questions. Fahad Asif, another player from Ishwardi was utterly confused by the decision.

"I don't think this has ever happened in the history of cricket that a team captain has retired in the middle of a series. I think there are some internal pressures and factors that we are unable to see from the outside but those are there. I accept that but still I cannot accept this decision. At least he could have waited until the series is over."

"The present situation of our team is that there really isn't anyone who can replace Tamim. I think this decision will cause us to suffer. The team is not going to be able to recover from this anytime soon and we are doomed to suffer at the World Cup that is if we are lucky. The sufferings might go on for as long as until the Asia Cup and that is what I am afraid of," added Asif, analysing the present squad and the situation from various points of view.

Bitter-sweet memories

"I think he took the decision a bit too quickly and he needed to think about it more. Everyone knows Tamim's contribution to the team. It's true that he's had some poor moments over the years, but there were also so many times when he showed up when we needed a hero. What about those moments? I think we could still rely on him if he found those parts of himself," observed a nostalgic young man called Fahim.

"My memories about Tamim are a bit specific. During the COVID-19 times, Tamim hosted a live show online. Perhaps it was on Facebook, but I remember clearly that Tamim invited other legends of Bangladesh cricket, players like Mushfiqur and Mashrafe. It was so welcome because COVID-19 had everything at a standstill. It was also an opportunity to know the players from up close," recalled Maruf from Gulshan.

Not thrilled

G A K Hazat, a recent graduate of Dhaka University, was not thrilled about the news of Tamim's retirement and had some strong opinions to share.

"It is a terrible decision. This is a really bad time to retire. He should have either waited until the World Cup or retired at least six months ago. But in my opinion, he should have retired a year back. That would have given us time to find new players. Tamim has been an anchoring batsman lately and not a hard hitter. Our team needs an impactful batsman right now and he has not been impactful for quite a while and now he's leaving in a hurry, putting the team in deep waters."

"He's a legend of our cricket, there's no question about that but lately he's been an auto-choice selection rather than actually playing well. I think he should have stayed a little longer and worked on his fitness, and improve his game so that he's selected for being a good player, not because we have no other choice. He could have stayed, mentored the young blood, and then leave after the World Cup. Leaving before such a big tournament is not a decision we expect from professionals," criticised Saikat from Chattogram.