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Experienced Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal has decided to opt out of the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand due to personal reasons.
Bangladesh will lock horns with New Zealand in an ODI and a T20I series, consisting of three matches each. The one-dayers begin on March 20 while the T20Is will be played from March 28 to April 1.
Tamim Iqbal has conveyed his decision to coach Russell Domingo and the selection committee. ESPNCricinfo quoted the batsman as saying:
"Before coming to New Zealand, I had informed the head coach and chief selector that I won't be available for the T20I series. It is for personal reasons. My best wishes are with the team. When the coach said that we have an opportunity to do well here, it includes the T20Is as well," he said.
Tamim Iqbal will be leading the Bangladesh team in the three-match ODI series while Mahmudullah is the T20I skipper.
The three one-dayers will be played in Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington on March 20, 23, and 26 respectively.
The teams will then shift focus to the T20I format, where the three games are scheduled for March 28, 30, and April 1 in Hamilton, Napier, and Auckland respectively.
Before Tamim Iqbal, another senior cricketer Shakib Al Hasan had announced that he would be missing the New Zealand tour. The Bangladesh all-rounder has been granted paternity leave by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Tamim Iqbal is Bangladesh's leading run-getter in T20Is
31-year-old Tamim Iqbal is Bangladesh's leading run-getter in the T20I format. In 78 matches, he has 1758 runs to his name at a strike rate of 116.96.
In fact, Iqbal is the country’s only centurion in the shortest format of the game in international cricket. Apart from one hundred, he also has seven fifties to his name.
The left-hander has been a prolific run-scorer for Bangladesh across formats. He has 4508 runs in 62 Tests at an average of 38.20. In 210 ODIs, Iqbal has amassed 7360 runs at an average of 36.98.
While Tamim Iqbal has nine hundred in Test matches, he has 13 to his name in ODIs.
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