Why is Bangladesh's most prolific ODI batter Tamim Iqbal out of the World Cup squad?

The Bangladesh cricket team is set to participate in the One Day International (ODI) World Cup in India without their most prolific ODI player, Tamim Iqbal.

The squad, announced last night (September 26), does not include Tamim Iqbal's name. Instead, all-rounder Shakib al Hasan will continue to lead the team in the World Cup in India.

But why was Tamim Iqbal omitted?

Tamim Iqbal has been left out due to a lingering back injury, the same injury that previously kept him out of the Asia Cup and resulted in the loss of his captaincy.

In July, the 34-year-old cricketer had initially announced his retirement, but he reversed his decision the next day after meeting with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina.

Minnhajul Abedin, the chairman of the national team selection panel, explained, "Due to his back injury, we had to exclude him from the squad."

Although Tamim returned for this month's home series against New Zealand, he displayed slight discomfort, prompting the team management to omit him from the 15-man World Cup squad.

Tamim Iqbal has accumulated over 8,367 runs in 243 ODIs, the most by any batter in Bangladesh. His absence from the squad is expected to have a significant impact on the team's performance.

Record as a captain

Iqbal ranks as the third most successful captain of Bangladesh after Mashrafe Mortaza and Mushfiqur Rahim. He led the team in 37 ODIs, with 21 victories, 14 losses, and 2 matches ending without a result.

In contrast, Shakib al Hasan has captained Bangladesh in 50 ODIs during his career, securing 23 wins and suffering 26 defeats.

Overall, Bangladesh's ODI record is not particularly formidable, with nearly half of the matches resulting in losses. Out of 419 ODIs played, the Tigers have lost 257 and won only 153.

In the 2023 World Cup, Bangladesh will contest two warm-up matches before their tournament opener against Afghanistan on October 7, scheduled to be held in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.