Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal makes shock retirement announcement

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal has decided to retire from international cricket just three months before the World Cup.

The move came as a shock to many but Bangaldesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal has decided to bring a sudden end to his 16-year long international career and retire from the sport just three months before the ODI World Cup is expected to kick off in India.

In the press conference, Tamim appeared very emotional while being surrounded by several reporters and journalists. He made the announcement at a press conference he arranged in Chattogram on Thursday, a day after Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan in the first of three ODIs.

"This is the end for me. I have given my best. I have tried my best. I am retiring from international cricket from this moment," Tamim said.

"Yesterday against Afghanistan was my last international game. I am retiring from international cricket effective right now. It was not a sudden decision. I was thinking about the different reasons. I don't want to mention here. I have spoken to my family members about it. I thought this is the right time for me to retire from international cricket.

"I want to thank all my team-mates, coaches, BCB officials, my family members, and those who have been with me through my long journey. They kept faith in me. I also want to thank the fans. Your love and faith in me inspired me to give my very best for Bangladesh. I want to ask for your prayers for the next chapter of my life. Please keep me in your prayers."

The Bangladesh Cricket Board hasn’t named his successor and appointed a captain yet. While Shakib Al Hasan is the captain of the T20I side, Litton Das leads the Test team and it will be interesting to see whether any of those two players take up the mantle in ODI cricket.

34-year-old Tamim Iqbal had also decided to retire from T20Is around the same time almost a year ago. His last Test was Bangladesh's one-off match against Ireland in April.

He had begun his international career as a teenager and scored a match-winning half-century on his debut in the iconic game between India and Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup in West Indies. Tamim ends his career as the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in ODIs (8313) and with the most tons (14). He is also the third-highest run-getter among currently active cricketers behind only India’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

As a Test batter, Tamim scored 5134 runs - the second highest for Bangladesh - at an average of 38.89, with 10 centuries in 70 matches.