Tamim leaves for Nepal T20 League

Bangladesh Cricket Team’s one-day international skipper Tamim Iqbal left Dhaka in the early hours of Friday to take part in the fourth edition of the Everest Premier League, Nepal’s franchise Twenty20 tournament, after completing a long rehabilitation process to heal his injured knee.

Tamim took off on a Kathmandu-bound aircraft at 2:00 am today at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital to take part in the EPL which will run from September 25 to October 9 at the Tribhuvan University Ground in Kirtipur. ‘I am leaving Dhaka tonight to play in the Nepal Premier League tonight. Keep me in your prayers,’ the country’s top run-getter in all formats told the media on Thursday. This will be Tamim’s first appearance in the tournament and he will play for Bhairahawa Gladiators. Tamim had skipped the Tigers last three T20 series’ against Zimbabwe, Australia and New Zealand to complete an eight-week-long rehabilitation process to heal his knee. The opener was expected to recover in time and play in the T20 World Cup but the Southpaw dropped a bombshell when he publicly declared himself unavailable for the tournament, saying he didn’t want to barge into the opening slot after not playing a T20 for the Tigers in almost two years. Soon after his announcement to skip the T20 World Cup, news surfaced that the opener will play in the EPL and he also recently began individual training at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. BCB’s chief physician Debashis Chowdhury said that Tamim playing in the EPL is actually part of his recovery programme as here the opener will get to test himself in competitive action.

‘According to our plans with Tamim, he playing in the Everest Premier League is part of his rehabilitation process. Only while playing, we can determine how well he is managing his skills and other aspects. We will decide his future treatment plan according to his feedback after playing there,’ Debashis said on Thursday. ‘As of now, Tamim is feeling quite confident. He is able to do all of the skill trainings with almost full commitment. But playing in a match is a different thing. Till he returns to competitive action, he can’t judge himself completely. So, taking part in this league is a very important part of his rehabilitation process,’ he added. Debashis also applauded the ODI captain for successfully completing a grueling rehabilitation process. ‘We had suggested Tamim to go through an eight-week-long rehabilitation process. In the last month, Tamim followed the rehabilitation process under the supervision of the national team’s physio and trainer. Through determination and a lot of hardship, he has almost completed this difficult and lengthy rehabilitation process.’