All the speculation surrounding Tamim Iqbal's possible return to the side for the second Test against West Indies has ended after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 13-member squad yesterday without Tamim.
The star opener had looked comfortable when he batted against spinners in the nets earlier, sparking talk of him returning in the Mirpur Test scheduled to start from November 30. However, the medical team ran a scan on his injured left hand, which revealed slight swelling in the affected area, and it was decided that it would be best not to take the risk of rushing him back. He had sustained the injury to his left knuckle during the Asia Cup in September.
On November 13, while his teammates were playing the second Test against Zimbabwe, Tamim's troubles were compounded when he suffered a side strain while training in Mirpur that had ruled him out of the first Test against West Indies.
Tamim will now be eyeing a return in the upcoming ODI series starting from December 9 in Dhaka. A BCB XI is scheduled to play a practice match against the West Indies on December 6 before the ODI series starts—the perfect opportunity for the left-hander to make his return to competitive cricket after a lengthy layoff.
