Tamim Iqbal set for a two-month spell on the sidelines due to knee injury 

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has reportedly suffered a knee injury which will keep him out of action for two months. The 32-year-old will return home following the culmination of Bangladesh's ongoing ODI series against Zimbabwe.

Tamim Iqbal will miss a chunk of international action ahead of the T20 World Cup. Bangladesh are slated to face Australia and New Zealand in two separate T20 series after their current assignment in Zimbabwe, which also includes 3 short-format matches.

Minhajul Abedin, Bangladesh's chief selector, said:

"Tamim Iqbal will return home alongside Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam from the ODI side. Tamim has been advised to rest for six to eight weeks. He won't be able to play against Australia [in August] and New Zealand [in September] at home."

Tamim Iqbal is said to have suffered the injury in April, but he recovered in time to face Sri Lanka next month. He also went on to record eleven appearances in the 2021 edition of the Dhaka Premier League. However, the injury bug struck once again and Iqbal was forced to miss the Super League phase of the tournament.

.@TamimOfficial28 is the highest run scorer (1684 runs) for Bangladesh in ODIs against Zimbabwe.#BANvZIM pic.twitter.com/ZHykgWYMwZ

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) July 17, 2021

He subsequently missed the one-off test match against Zimbabwe as well. He prioritized the ODI series and played with the injury against the same opposition since the series is being contested as part of the crucial World Cup Super League.

Tamim Iqbal expected to be fit in time for series against England

The left-handed opener is expected to be a part of Bangladesh's series against England in October.

Tamim Iqbal: 'I'm bound to make mistakes as a captain but I'll ensure the team always come... https://t.co/Izo3nTTySt

— Tamim Iqbal Khan (@TamimOfficial28) June 2, 2020

He opted to take time off to heal from the knee injury, following Dr. David Young's advice. The Melbourne-based orthopedic surgeon has worked with notable Bangladesh players in the past, including former skipper Mashrafe Mortaza.

Bangladesh's chief selector is assessing the situation and planning their approach for their upcoming set of series. He said:

"We have asked Rubel (Hossain), (Mohammad) Mithun and Mosaddek (Hossan) to stay back with the T20I side as part of our contingency plan for the Australia series. We have to keep players in quarantine for ten days ahead of the Australia series bio-bubble. We want to have as many options as possible as we won't be able to call up players from outside the bio-bubble."

Bangladesh will host the Aussies next week for a five-match T20 series. The series is set to be contested between August 2 and 8.