United News of Bangladesh

Former national cricket team captain Tamim Iqbal on Saturday said it is important to acknowledge past mistakes and identify areas for improvement to enable better representation from Chattogram in national sports. Speaking at BNP’s youth rally at the historic Polo Ground in Chattogram, Tamim said, “We must first accept what went wrong and where we can improve. Only then can we think about how we can represent the national team better.” He said that he is not a politician, he is a sportsman, a Chittagong native and a true Bangladeshi. BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman joined the rally virtually from London. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam Rakib were also present on stage. Tamim recalled that in the past, Chattogram used to produce six to seven players who represented the country in cricket, football, or other sports. Protest Seeking AL Ban: Crowd grows larger at Shahbagh “But over the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve seen only one or two players from Chattogram making it to national teams. It is crucial for us to figure out the reasons behind this decline,” he said. “If we can identify those flaws, InshaAllah, you’ll see — just as 10, 15, or 20 years ago, many athletes from Chattogram represented Bangladesh in various sports — we will get back to that position,” he added.

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal is planning to retire from one format of international cricket in the coming months. The left-handed batsman recently led the Tigers in a three-match ODI series in New Zealand. He returned home after the series and skipped the T20 series citing personal reasons. "There are many cricketers around who retired from one format to prolong their career," Tamim told Cricbuzz. "So, if I want to play for five or six more years, I won't be able to play all three formats of the game." Also read: Tamim to skip New Zealand T20Is for personal reasons "Like many other cricketers, I have to quit at least one format so that I can give my best to the other two formats," he continued. Tamim came under immense criticism over the last few years for his slow batting in limited-over cricket. So, it was assumed that the left-hander would leave the T20 first, but he said otherwise. "T20 cricket is still not out of my mind," Tamim said. "I don't want to mention what format I would like to leave first. It can be any format of international cricket." Also read: New Zealand Series will define Tamim’s captaincy "Of course the T20 World Cup in 2021 in India is on my sight," Tamim said when he was asked if he is going to quit T20 before this year's T20 World Cup. "I am not 36 or 37; so why not? I have a plan for my career." "I know which format I want to play longer and which format I want to leave early. But for now, I don't want to disclose everything to everyone."

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal has signed an agreement with Seven Rings Cement to promote the company as its brand ambassador.