‘As the captain, Shakib could have messaged Tamim…….’ – Former Bangladesh skipper’s strong take on Shakib-Al-Hasan-Tamim Iqbal controversy

The Bangladesh cricket team has been gearing up for the ODI World Cup 2023. However, their side has gotten into some trouble as star opener Tamim Iqbal has made himself unavailable from the squad owing to some mismanagement. Following the same, Bangladesh skipper Shakib-Al-Hasan has made some nasty remarks about him owing to his batting position. Meanwhile, speaking on the same subject, former Bangladesh cricketer Mashrafe Mortaza has lashed out at skipper Shakib-Al-Hasan and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for not handling the situation, as it caused massive controversy for their side ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023.

The former bowler feels that skipper Shakib-Al-Hasan should have spoken to Tamim Iqbal to make him understand his point and situation, which could have resolved the issue rather than the controversy. In addition, the former skipper believes that Tamim Iqbal’s choice of batting at the top over the middle order should have come first from the skipper or coach rather than a BCB official.

“As the captain, Shakib could have messaged Tamim or spoken for a minute, saying, ‘I have this plan, I’ll discuss it with you later.’ I think that would have resolved the entire issue here. According to my cricket knowledge, this instruction of batting in the middle order or skipping the first game should have come from coach, captain or a selector who will go with the team. Not from any BCB official,” Mashrafe Mortaza said.

All conversation with Tamim Iqbal should have come after announcing the squad: Mashrafe Mortaza

The 39-year-old cricketer says that they should have talked about Tamim Iqbal’s batting position after announcing the ODI World Cup squad. Moreover, the Dhaka-born cricketer affirms that he wasn’t able to understand the reason for revealing Tamim Iqbal’s batting position before announcing the squad.

“They could have said it after announcing the squad or two days before the first game. I don’t understand the reason behind telling this to Tamim before announcing the squad. All these conversation with Tamim should have come after announcing the squad,” he added further.