DHAKA SUNDAY JANUARY 12, 2025, POUSH 28, 1431 BS

ASHFAQ-UL-ALAM

“I have just one request to you all, please remember me, don’t forget about me.”

These were the parting words from Tamim Iqbal in a video he posted on September 27, 2023, a day after he was left out of the ODI World Cup squad for being unfit.

In that video, Tamim shared his side of the story, rubbishing claims that he was fit for only five games in the World Cup and disclosed that a heated exchange over the phone with a top Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official prompted him to make himself unavailable for the tournament.

Although Tamim did not expressly announce his retirement in that clip, his parting words implied exactly that.

Earlier that year, on July 6, Tamim had announced his shock retirement, which he retracted in less than 24 hours at the behest of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Tamim played just one more game after coming out of retirement, an ODI against New Zealand in Mirpur where he made 44 off 58 balls, which will now go down as his final knock for Bangladesh as on Friday night, Tamim again announced his retirement from international cricket on social media.

Unlike his previous retirement announcement, this was not a sudden decision as the 35-year-old had over a year to think before deciding to call time on an illustrious career -- one that has earned him the title of a living legend in Bangladesh cricket.

The southpaw finished his career as Bangladesh’s greatest-ever run accumulator in ODIs (8357), has struck the highest number of centuries across formats (25), is the first ever Bangladeshi to accumulate 15,000 runs in international cricket and is also the only Tiger batter to have a century in every format.

In spite of the long list of accomplishments, considering the immense talent Tamim showcased at the start of his career, there lingers a sense of him failing to reach the heights he could have.

But there is no doubt that Tamim has set the benchmark for Bangladesh batters and has done more than enough to be always remembered as an icon of the country’s cricket.

Still, Tamim felt the need to ask the fans not to forget about him in 2023, why?

Perhaps the batter was worried that all the drama of his final active year in international cricket would taint his legacy forever and the people would forget his cricketing accomplishments and only remember the bitter ending.

Tamim had a chance to rewrite the ending by taking part in the ICC Champions Trophy, starting next month, but eventually chose not to.

Since getting axed from the World Cup squad in 2023, Tamim had not been with the national team in any capacity. Had the selectors named him for the tournament, it would have surely caused a fresh uproar.

As the event drew closer, these speculations were swirling around with renewed zest till Tamim nipped it all in the bud with his retirement announcement. Tamim chose not to go for a fairytale ending but instead opted to step away quietly, as perhaps he has realised he does not need to do anything anymore, he has done enough to be remembered in Bangladesh cricket forever.