Tamim set for return

Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal joined his Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League side Dhaka Platoon on Saturday evening and took part in the training session at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chattogram yesterday.

The dashing left hander was hospitalised for a night at the Apollo Hospital in Dhaka after suffering from high fever and an upset stomach and went on to miss Dhaka’s first game of the Chattogram leg on Wednesday.

The thirty-year-old took part in training and spent time at the nets and is likely to take part in Dhaka’s next game against Cumilla Warriors in the first match of the day at the ZACS today.

Another left-handed batsman, Mominul Haque, had replaced Tamim at the top. Mominul justified his opportunity with a fluent 53-ball 52 only for the effort go in vain as his side lost by 18 runs to Chattogram Challengers.

Tamim has so far played three games for Dhaka in the BBPL. The southpaw started the tournament on a low and was dismissed for five runs but he came back strong in the next game and scored 74 off 53 against Cumilla at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur and followed that up by scoring 31 runs against Sylhet Thunder.

Tamim returned to cricket after a long gap, having not played since captaining the one-day side on Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka in July this year.

He asked for a break from the Bangladesh Cricket Board for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in August and the following tri-series. He was scheduled to return during the Tigers’ crucial tour of India in November but also sat that out due to personal reasons.

With so many missed chances, Tamim will be hoping to make an impression in the BBPL ahead of the Tigers’ proposed three-match T20I series in Pakistan.