In a major boost for the Bangladesh national cricket team, BCB president Faruque Ahmed has hinted at the participation of veterans Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Faruque Ahmed said that Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan are available for selection for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy to be played in a hybrid format in February and March 2024.
Read also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: NZC takes action, sends delegation to assess security in Pakistan
Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan are certified greats of Bangladesh cricket
Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and veteran batsman Tamim Iqbal are two of the greatest cricketers Bangladesh has produced.
Shakib featured in 71 Tests, 247 ODIs and 129 T20Is for his country and scored 4609, 7570 and 2551 runs respectively. With the ball, his contributions were immense as he picked 246, 317 and 149 wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
Talking about Tamim Iqbal, he has played 70 Tests, 243 ODIs and 78 T20Is scoring 5134, 8357 and 1758 runs respectively. However, he has not donned the Bangladesh jersey for a very long time, his last international appearance coming in September 2023.
He has also served as a commentator in some of the recent matches in Bangladesh but now he has started his preparations for the upcoming BPL with the ongoing NCL T20.
Meanwhile, Shakib found himself in the midst of many controversies. Political issues prevented him from traveling to Bangladesh and he was recently suspended from bowling in international cricket for an illegal action.
He last played in a Test match against India in October 2024. Since then, he has not played for his national team but has played regularly in franchise cricket.
If any player doesn't retire then surely he is available for selection – Faruque Ahmed
Meanwhile, Faruque Ahmed said that Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan are still available to play for Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy, but added that he is not aware of Shakib Al Hasan's participation in the BPL.
“If any player does not withdraw, then he is definitely available for selection (for the Champions Trophy),” Faruque told reporters after the board meeting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Friday, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“Shakib's issue is a totally different issue and it is nothing new. In the last tour of West Indies he was not in a mental state to play and now Shakib will say whether he will play BPL or what is his condition and I can't say anything because I don't have any update on him” , he said.
As for Tamim, look what the Chief Selector – Faruque Ahmed had to say
The BCB president added that Tamim Iqbal has not retired yet and if the team management feels they need him, the Gazi Ashraf Hossain-led selection committee will hold talks with him.
“As for Tamim, look what the chief selector said. There is no policy and if a player still needs to withdraw and the selectors believe it is necessary for the team, in that case the selection committee will have to talk to that particular player. he said.
Finally, Faruque said they will take a final call on Najmul Hossain Shanto's future as captain after December. Notably, Shanto expressed his desire to relinquish the role, but changed his mind after conversations with the BCB president.
“We have just finished a series and there is nothing before the Champions Trophy, the boys will be playing BPL so we have time in our hands. We have not discussed anything about that. We will discuss when the time comes. We will decide after December 14 (regarding captaincy of Shanto),” he added.