Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal was ruled out of the lone Twenty20 match against New Zealand yesterday. A media release from the Bangladesh Cricket Board informed that the left-handed batsman has a lower abdominal strain and will miss the game at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today.
The Chittagong lad was sent for MRI the night before the third game after he complained of pain in the lower abdomen. However, when one of the Bangladesh Cricket Board physiotherapists informed that he is doing fine and he is fit to play it led to a misconception among the team and general public with Tamim’s intention.
The home side, when they were on their way to Fatullah for the third ODI, came to know from the medical report that Tamim has a ‘Grade Two’ tear in the lower abdomen and that the south-paw was not fit for the game on Sunday. The team expressed anger over the negligence from the BCB physiotherapist as they had to change their strategies.
Bangladesh team manager Akram Khan did not comment on the reaction of the team, but has said that such carelessness towards a professional cricketer is a sin and a serious offence.
“Such occurrence is really sad for a sportsperson. A player falls under odd situation when he complains of injury, but the doctor says he is fine. Such situations give a very wrong conception among the general public. This might even make people say that the particular player is acting to skip a game. This is really depressing for a sportsman,” said the former national skipper.
Akram who is also a member of the BCB wants remedy to the situation. “We also talk about the professionalism of a cricketer then why not of everyone who are involved with the game. One should understand the importance and should be careful of their responsibilities,” said Akram.
On the other hand, Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim also informed that Tamim is not doing well.
“He (Tamim) is not doing well to be honest so he will not play in the game tomorrow (today). He is a key member of our team so we will miss him and at the same time also expect his replacement to do the job well,” said Mushfiqur during a press meet yesterday.