Bangladesh's star batter, Tamim Iqbal, has commenced preparations for the upcoming season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He was spotted practising at the indoor facility in Mirpur on Monday.
It has been approximately three months since Tamim last batted. Concerns about his fitness led to his absence from the Asia Cup, the World Cup, and several other matches for the Tigers, posing a challenge for him to regain match fitness.
In the meantime, he requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to exclude him from the new central contract, signalling a shift in his ambition away from the national team.
Facing criticism about his fitness-related decisions last year, Tamim initially retired from all forms of international cricket. However, under the intervention of the Prime Minister, he reversed his decision.
Despite his return, Tamim played only two matches for the Tigers. The selectors sidelined him during the World Cup, citing fitness concerns. In an interview on the eve of the World Cup, Tamim said he is indeed struggling with injuries but those were not as severe as portrayed by the selectors. He expressed his readiness to play in the World Cup, but the opportunity did not materialize.
In the upcoming edition of the BPL, starting on January 19th with the match between Durdanto Dhaka, a new franchise, and Comilla Victorians, Tamim will represent Fortune Barisal.
With around 3000 runs under his belt with two hundreds and 25 fifties, Tamim is the best batter in BPL's history.
