Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza has said the controversy surrounding opener Tamim Iqbal’s exclusion from the One Day International World Cup squad would not have blown up had Shakib al Hasan explained his plans to the opener.
Tamim’s exclusion from the squad, the southpaw’s subsequent video message where he spills the bins about recent events and skipper Shakib's interview with a TV channel are the talk of the town.
Mashrafe gave his two cents on the issue in a video message on Facebook late Thursday.
“Anyone may have to bat at any position for the sake of the team. I think since Shakib is the captain…Shakib as the captain could have sent the message through a text or rang him (Tamim) up on the phone to say, ‘I have a plan. I will talk to you about this later.’”
“I think the whole thing would have ended there [had it happened]."
He also slammed the person who had leaked false information about Tamim's availability.
Tamim said in his social media message that a top Bangladesh Cricket Board official had asked him to sit out or bat in the middle-order in Bangladesh's first match in the World Cup, against Afghanistan.
No board official had the right to tell the opener where he would bat, Mashrafe said, adding that it was the responsibility of the captain or the coach to do so.
