Bangladesh Skipper Shakib Al Hasan Rips Into 'Childish' Teammate Tamim Iqbal

The Bangladesh cricket team is going through a troublesome phase, right before the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. In the final 15-man squad that the Bangla Tigers announced, there was no space for star opening batter Tamim Iqbal while Shakib Al Hasan was named the captain of the side. Tamim's exit from the team left many surprised, but according to skipper Shakib, the management had few options but to axe Tamim, who is 'childish' and a player who plays for 'individual success over team's'.

In a chat with Bangladesh media outlet, T Sports, Shakib took a swipe at Tamim, claiming the opening batter didn't want to play in the middle order, even if it benefitted the team. Shakib cited the example of India's Rohit Sharma as he explained why a player would always keep the team in front.

"Someone like Rohit Sharma built his career from No. 7 to opener, scored 10,000-plus runs. If he sometimes bats at No. 3 or 4, would it be a big problem? It is totally childish. It is my bat, I will play. No one else can play. A player should bat at any position for the team. Team first. It doesn't make any difference if you have made 100 or 200, and the team loses. What can you do with personal achievement? You want to make a name for yourself?," he said.

"You are not thinking about the team at all. People don't understand these things. Why was the proposal given to him? It was for the team. What is wrong with that? You are a team man when you agree to such a proposal. Unless you are thinking along those lines, you are not a team man. You are playing for individual records, success, fame, and name. Not for the team," he added.

It was also reported that Tamim wasn't fully fit to play the entire World Cup. Though the batter claimed that