Shakib Al Hasan Blames Controversy with Tamim Iqbal for Bangladesh’s Poor Performance in World Cup 2023

Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of Bangladesh cricket team, has openly stated that his conflict with Tamim Iqbal has hampered the team’s performance in the ongoing 2023 World Cup. This statement comes after Bangladesh’s fifth straight loss in the tournament.

Tamim Iqbal was left out of the Bangladesh World Cup 2023 squad. Just days after the squad’s announcement, Tamim Iqbal made allegations that the Bangladesh cricket board was involved in underhanded politics and labelled it as ‘dirty game’ by the top officials.

Initially, the selectors cited the opener’s back injury as the reason for his omission. However, later in an interview with a sports channel, Shakib revealed that Tamim had declined to bat at No 3 in their first World Cup match against Afghanistan.

The all-rounder even went as far as to label Tamim as ‘childish’ and questioned his commitment to the team. Shakib also expressed his dissatisfaction with Tamim’s decision to step down as captain just a couple of months before the World Cup, emphasising that such a decision should have been made earlier.

Speaking on this context, here’s what Shakib Al Hasan said after their embarrassing 87 run defeat against Netherlands:

“The controversy between me and Tamim Iqbal might have affected Bangladesh. It’s our worst World Cup performance.”

Shakib Al Hasan said, "the controversy between me and Tamim Iqbal might've affected Bangladesh. It's our worst World Cup performance". pic.twitter.com/I64oFURhQN

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 28, 2023

With a string of five consecutive defeats in the tournament, Bangladesh now finds itself at the bottom of the points table and is virtually eliminated from the semifinals contention. Their next match is scheduled against Pakistan on October 31 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.