SPORTS REPORTER from New Delhi

Former Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal suddenly appeared in the press box yesterday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, just before the Tigers’ second T20I against hosts India at the venue.

Tamim, who has been working as a commentator for Star Sports in the ongoing series, had a chat with the media before his commentary duties as he addressed some questions from the media on specific issues.

The first T20I of the series in Gwalior showed that there was a disparity in batting prowess between the two teams. Tigers’ captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said wickets back home were a reason for the gap in skill even if it was not the only reason.

Tamim felt not much had been done about making changes when such complaints came from players.

“Who has taken any initiative? Whether it’s the cricket board or management or players or whoever. So until and unless we don’t take that initiative, maybe after two series you will hear the same thing,” Tamim said.

There had been speculations about Tamim becoming a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director, but the cricketer clarified that he is not thinking about it at the moment.

“I’m doing commentary now, then I will focus on cricket. I’m not thinking about that right now (director),” he added.

Tamim was asked whether seniors sometimes fail to understand the gravity of retiring in the best way possible, downplaying their own legacy in the process. Mahmdullah Riyad announced on the eve of the second T20I against India that he would be retiring from the format at the end of the series, leading to questions about whether he could have ended his T20I career after the last T20I World Cup and not in an away bilateral series. Earlier on this tour, Shakib Al Hasan also announced his retirement plans.

“Whenever anyone retires, it’s not pleasant to hear or talk about that. Since I have spent so much time with them [Shakib and Riyad], of course, I feel bad. Also, I feel proud of both of them for whatever they have achieved,” Tamim said.

Tamim himself has not retired from two formats -- Test and ODI. However, he has not donned the red and green jersey since opting out of the ODI World Cup in 2023. Asked how he will focus on cricket before the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League, he said: “I will go from here and have two months which I will use to prepare for BPL.”