Tamim Iqbal granted break from Bangladesh cricket duties

Tamim Iqbal is normally one of the first names on the Bangladesh cricket team's playing XI across all three formats. However, following a disappointing outing at the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2019, the veteran opener had requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board to grant him a break from national team duties. 

According to reports by ESPNCricnfo, it is confirmed that the governing body had now approved Iqbal's plea and the player will now miss out on next month's one-off Test match against Asian minnows - Afghanistan. The experienced batsman will also miss the T20 tri-series that will follow the Test match. 

Iqbal, who has played 204 ODIs and 58 Test matches for Bangladesh and scored 10,000+ runs in the process, will leave the country for a physical fitness camp and will be available for Bangladesh's next assignment which is a tough tour of India in November where they play three T20Is and two Tests against Virat Kohli & Co.

In a letter penned to BCB, Iqbal had asked for a break after he had gone through a tough time in the last three months. Barring the average World Cup campaign in which he scored only one fifty, the Bangladesh vice-captain also had a below-par ODI series against Sri Lanka after which he was subjected to a lot of hate on various social media platforms.