CHITTAGONG
\nBangla\u00acdesh cricketer Tamim Iqbal withdrew his retirement from international cricket Friday \u2014 a day after shocking team-mates with his sudden resignation \u2014 saying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had ordered him to change his mind.
\nThe veteran opener, 34, broke down crying while announcing the immediate end to his international career after leading his side to Wednesday\u2019s 17-run defeat in the first of a three-match one-day series against Afghanistan.
\nBut on Friday, Tamim said he had a change of heart after being asked to return to the game by the Bangladeshi leader.
\n\u201cI can say no to everyone except the most important person in the country,\u201d he said outside Hasina\u2019s official residence in Dhaka. \u201cWe had a long discussion. She has instructed me to return to cricket. I am withdrawing my retirement.\u201d
\nAccompanying Tamim to the meeting was Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan, who earlier called Tamim\u2019s professionalism into question for playing Wednesday\u2019s match despite admitting he was not 100 percent fit.
\n\u201cHaving seen his press conference, I knew that he was being emotional about his decision,\u201d Hassan said. \u201cI knew that if we could sit face-to-face, I could find a solution.\u201d
\nHassan said Tamim would take a six-week break to undergo injury rehab and prepare \u201cphysically and mentally\u201d for his return in time for the Asia Cup in September.
\nLocal broadcasters showed fans staging impromptu celebrations in the port city of Chittagong, Tamim\u2019s hometown, after the decision was announced live on television.
\nThe meeting took place hours after selectors named wicket-keeper\/batter Liton Das as captain for the remainder of the series against Afghanistan.
\nEarlier in the day, Liton said Tamim\u2019s resignation had taken the team by surprise.
\n\u201cNone of us could realise this decision was coming,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cHe gave the Bangladesh team a lot for so many years.\u201d
\nTamim has established himself as one of the country\u2019s most dependable players and is the only Bangladeshi to score centuries in all three formats of the game.
\nThe 34-year-old batsman has scored 8,313 runs in his 241 ODIs for Bangladesh, hitting 14 centuries \u2014 both run-scoring statistics the highest by any Bangladeshi batsman.
\n\u2018BIG CHANCE FOR US\u2019
\nBangladesh have called up opener Rony Talukdar, 32, for the remaining two matches against Afghanistan. The right-hander made his ODI debut in May against Ireland.
\nAfghanistan captain Hashmat\u00acullah Shahidi said his side relished their chances to seal the series in the second match with Tamim\u2019s absence.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what happened with them because I focus on us. Yeah, you can say it\u2019s surprising for everyone that he left in between the series,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cTomorrow is a big chance for us to take (series) 2-0… I know they will come hard at us but we are ready.\u201d
\nShahidi said left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, who was unable to complete his final over in the opening match, is fit again.
\n\u201cI think he had cramps because it\u2019s hot weather here. He is good, God willing, and we will see him in the nets today,\u201d he said.
\nThe third and final match of the series will be held in Chittagong on July 11. Bangladesh won both their prior ODI series at home against Afghanistan 2-1. Afghanistan concludes their tour with two T20 matches in Sylhet on July 14 and 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHITTAGONG Bangla\u00acdesh cricketer Tamim Iqbal withdrew his retirement from international cricket Friday \u2014 a day after shocking team-mates with his sudden resignation \u2014 saying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had ordered him to change his mind. The veteran opener, 34, broke down crying while announcing the immediate end to his international career after leading his side […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-342164","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n