Published 15:41 IST, October 26th 2019
Tamim Iqbal pulls out of India tour, Imrul Kayes named as replacement
Senior opener Tamim Iqbal has opted out of Bangladesh's upcoming tour of India as his wife is due with the couple's second child. Imrul Kayes will replace him.
Senior opener Tamim Iqbal has opted out of Bangladesh's upcoming tour of India as his wife is due with the couple's second child. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named another left-hander, Imrul Kayes, as Iqbal's replacement for the three T20 Internationals, starting November 3 in Delhi. Bangladesh will also play two Test matches in Indore (November 14-18) and Kolkata (November 22-26).
According to a report: "Tamim Iqbal, who is also nursing a rib injury, was named in the T20I side, but had informed the BCB that he might have to skip the second Test, in Kolkata from November 22, to be with his wife. He has since decided to be with his wife for the weeks heading up to the delivery date too." "Tamim Iqbal had informed us earlier that he would miss the second Test in Kolkata but now he will be with his wife for the coming weeks," chief selector Minhajul Abedin said. Tamim Iqbal, who has had a horrid run with the bat in recent times, missed Bangladesh's home Test against Afghanistan and the T20I tri-series after requesting for a break from all cricket following Bangladesh's tour of Sri Lanka in July.
Bangladesh T20I squad
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Liton Das, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Aminul Islam, Arafat Sunny, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam.
Shakib might face legal action
Bangladesh's domestic cricketers might be reaping benefits from the players' protest but their national captain Shakib al Hasan has been caught off-guard, with the board mulling legal action for violation of the central contract. With Bangladesh set to leave for the all-important India series in the next few days, the BCB's strong stance could certainly affect the morale of the team. According to a report, Shakib-al-Hasan has signed a deal with noted telecom company 'Grameenphone', which is in violation of the central contract clause.
"BCB president Nazmul Hasan said that they will take strict action if he is unable to provide a satisfactory reply. Grameenphone, the local telecom giants, announced on October 22 that the country's leading all-rounder joined them as their brand ambassador," a website reported. "He cannot make this agreement [with a telecom company] and why he cannot make this agreement is clearly stated in our contract paper," BCB president Nazmul Hasan was quoted as saying by the Bengali daily 'Kaler Kantho' on Saturday. "Robi [Telecom] was our title sponsor and Grameenphone did not bid and instead they grabbed few cricketers by paying them TK One or Two Crores. What happened in the end? The board lost TK 90 Crores in three years," he said.
Updated 15:48 IST, October 26th 2019