'This is the end. I am retiring': One of Bangladesh's greatest shocks the cricket world

Tamim Iqbal, the ODI captain of the Bangladesh cricket team, has announced his retirement from international cricket. The new development is coming just months before the ICC World Cup 2023. It marks the end of the cricketer's illustrious 16-year career. The Bangladesh ODI captain announced his retirement at a press conference he organized in Chattogram on Thursday. 

3 things you need to know

• Tamim Iqbal had a 16-year career with Bangladesh
• Iqbal was the ODI captain of the national cricket team
• Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement on Thursday

Tamim Iqbal announces sudden retirement ahead of WC 2023

While making the announcement, the ODI captain was in tears. It is a shocker in International cricket as he stepped down ahead of the Asia Cup and the ICC Men's ODI World Cup in India. As per ESPN Cricinfo, he mentioned:

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. 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.

Tamim Iqbal had a fantastic 16 year-year-old career for Bangladesh and achieved many records throughout his career. The left-handed opening batsman played 389 international matches for the Men in Green and Red and made 15205 runs, which consisted of 25 hundreds and 94 fifties. His highest score was 206 against Pakistan in Khulna.

Apart from his wonderful international career, Tamim Iqbal also made a lot of records for the Bangladesh cricket team. Tamim holds the record for most runs in ODIs on a single venue. The Bangladesh ODI captain has made 2834 runs in 85 matches at the Sher-E-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. He also represented Bangladesh in four ODI World Cups, which included the 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions of the tournament.

Tamim Iqbal played his last match against Afghanistan in Chattogram in which he scored 13 runs from 21 balls. He was one of the most important players in the history of Bangladesh cricket and the team will certainly feel his absence in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023, all set to be played in India from October 5, 2023.

Shakib Al Hasan captains the squad in T20I matches, while Litton Das leads the side in tests. But the Bangladesh Cricket Board is yet to announce the successor to Tamim Iqbal ahead of the important tournaments.