Tamim Iqbal's Final Goodbye to International Cricket
For Bangladesh cricket fans, Tamim Iqbal's retirement feels like the end of an era. On January 10, 2025, Tamim shut the door on international cricket—for good this time. Despite heavy persuasion from selectors, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, and several former teammates urging a comeback for the 2025 Champions Trophy, Tamim stayed firm. Through a straightforward Facebook post, he wrote that his international cricket chapter was 'over.' He made it clear: he didn’t want his status to distract the team during a crucial tournament.
This isn’t the first time Tamim has walked away from the game. Back in July 2023, he announced his retirement only to be pulled back within a day, largely thanks to the intervention of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The story created a wave of drama at the time, but this time, there’s no turning back. The selectors and Shanto reached out again, hoping for one last twist before the Champions Trophy, but Tamim’s mind was made up. He said he’d spent enough time away from the international squad, and returning now would just put the spotlight on his presence rather than on the team’s performance.
The Record-Breaking Career of a Bangladeshi Legend
Tamim’s numbers speak for themselves. Over 16 years, he’s played 70 Tests, 243 ODIs, and 78 T20Is—amassing more than 15,000 runs and notching up 25 centuries. Those stats put him in a league of his own among Bangladeshi players. He’s the only Bangladeshi to have scored centuries in all three of cricket’s main formats. For a country that’s often been the underdog in world cricket, Tamim's achievements are a source of pride and inspiration for fans and future cricketers alike.
He didn’t just rack up the runs—he did it with style, whether facing express pace on tough wickets or anchoring tricky chases. Tamim opened the batting with confidence for years, providing starts that gave Bangladesh real fighting chances, especially in ODIs. He was part of moments that shifted the country’s cricketing hopes from merely competing to actually winning against big teams.
Even when he wasn’t on the field, Tamim stayed in people’s conversations. After being left out of the 2023 World Cup squad, the former captain Shakib Al Hasan publicly questioned his approach and commitment, sparking debate among fans and pundits. Those moments showed just how high the expectations had become for a player of his stature.
While he’s stepping away from representing Bangladesh on the big stage, Tamim’s not turning his back on cricket altogether. He’ll still be seen whacking boundaries in the Bangladesh Premier League, where his experience brings an edge to younger local players. But for those who watched him carry the nation’s hopes across three formats for nearly two decades, seeing Tamim’s international career end is bound to hit hard.
