DHAKA, July 23, 2023 (BSS)- Nazmul Hassan Papon, president of the Bangladesh

Cricket Board (BCB), reiterated his board's stance to keep Tamim Iqbal as
Captain of the team in the upcoming World Cup.

Tamim's retirement issue and then the reversal of the decision following the
meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was the talk of the town some days
ago.

He thereafter took six-week rest but the issue remains in the table as of
now. There was doubt whether he would be the captain when he would return to
the side. Rumours were rife that the BCB is willing to give Shakib Al Hasan
the captaincy in ODI format too, a thing which Tamim came to know from
various sources. It was another reason that prompted him to announce the pre-
mature retirement.

But Papon cleared the air today regarding the captaincy while talking to the
reporters in a local hotel in the city.

"I will tell you one simple thing: Tamim will be our captain in the World
Cup. There's no doubt in it," Papon said.

"Since Tamim didn't play the last two matches against Afghanistan, Liton Das
led the side. Now, if Tamim returns to the team, he will lead the side. If he
doesn't come, we'll choose another one. We still are not sure when he will be
back."

It is learnt Tamim's back injury needed an operation to be healed properly
but he would have to be sidelined for four to six months, meaning his World
Cup participation will be left in limbo.

Tamim of late raised a sensitive issue while giving interview in two media
outlets.

He questioned the exercise he was given in the gym session which he though
contributed in the return of his back pain.

"While doing an exercise in the gym session, it came back again. So shouldn't
the question be raised, was that exercise right or wrong for me? Why was I
doing the exercise that I am not supposed to do? Exercises that shouldn't
cause problems with this injury, why weren't they done? This reason should
also be found out," Tamim said.

When asked, Papon also raised a question: "That means, do they, who gave him
the exercise, want to harm him?"

"I don't want to comment on that. Because I don't know why he said this,
under what circumstances he said it. For two years, we are doing whatever he
wants, at home and abroad for treatment, whatever he says. We haven't heard
of anything else before. Now he is saying that he has to give injections or
surgery. Fine, we'll do whatever it takes. We are willing to do whatever it
takes to heal him. There is no doubt about this. But, I don't know why he
made this comment."

Papon also talked about the return of Mahmudullah Riyad, saying that he had
no idea whether the allrounder could make his way to the team.

"I have no idea honestly. He didn't play the last series. He was out of the
team. The management could say whether he did enough to force his way back to
the side."