Tamim Iqbal retires from T20 internationals

The Bangladesh batter, who made himself unavailable from the format for six months earlier in the year, scored 1,758 runs in 78 T20Is

Bangladesh batter Tamim Iqbal has confirmed his retirement from T20 internationals.

The 33-year-old wrote on his official Facebook page "consider me retired from T-20 international from today" after the four-wicket win over West Indies in the third one-day international on Saturday (July 16).

Tamim announced in January his intention to take a six-month break from the format.

He played 78 T20Is during his 13-year career, scoring 1,758 runs. The last of his appearances came against Zimbabwe in Mirpur in March 2020.

^{Iqbal played the last of his 78 T20Is against Zimbabwe (Arif Ali/Getty Images)}

The announcement essentially rules Tamim out of the T20 World Cup, though it was always unlikely he would feature.

Last year, he withdrew himself from consideration for the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and in January said his focus was fully on Tests and ODI cricket.

With 12 wins from 8 games, Bangladesh sit second in the World Cup Super League, which provides direct qualification for the tournament in India in 2023.

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