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'New Afridi in the market' - Fans react as Tamim Iqbal withdraws decision to retire from International cricket

Tamim Iqbal withdrew his decision to retire from international cricket following the intervention of Bangladesh's Prime Minister.

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Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal (Source: Twitter)

Tamim Iqbal Tamim Iqbal (Source: Twitter)

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal on Thursday shocked the cricket fraternity by announcing his retirement from international cricket. However, just a day after the emotional events, the southpaw has taken a U-turn by withdrawing his decision. The decision is said to be the result of an intervention by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

According to Dhaka Tribune, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has confirmed that the opening batter was at the residence of PM on Friday (July 7) along with his wife, former captain Mashrafe Mortaza and BCB chief Nazmul Hassan. He will now continue playing international matches for Bangladesh.

The 34-year-old's announcement came a day after his side lost the first of three ODIs against Afghanistan and three months before the World Cup. He was in tears as he confirmed his decision to hang up his boots after an illustrious 16-year career. However, he did not reveal the reason behind the sudden decision.

“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. 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 different reasons. I don’t want to mention it here. I have spoken to my family members about it. I thought this is the right time for me to retire from international cricket,” Iqbal said during a press conference.

Will Tamim Iqbal lead Bangladesh in the 2nd ODI against Afghanistan?

With Iqbal now backtracking on his decision, it will be interesting to see if he will return to lead his national team against Afghanistan in the second T20 starting on Saturday (July 8) at the Zahoor Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Bangladesh are hoping to win the game and level the series.

Iqbal finished his career as Bangladesh’s all-time leading run scorer in the ODI format, scoring 8314 runs in 241 matches. He also holds the record for most ODI centuries (14) among Bangladesh players.

Here's how fans reacted to Tamim Iqbal withdrawing his retirement decision:

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