Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan dropped a bombshell two days ago in an interview when he revealed that Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal no longer speak with each other and it has made way for grouping in the Bangladesh cricket team.
However, after a meeting with the team on Monday night, Nazmul has changed his tune, telling the media that he has only heard about the rift and grouping inside the team, he hasn’t seen it himself.
“The talks of a unhealthy dressing room, Tamim and Shakib having a problem with each other, I’ve heard all of it from the outside. I’ve heard it the most from the media,” Nazmul told the reporters after his meeting with the team on Monday night.
“In the last (T20) World Cup in Australia, I saw that everything was fine. I’ve heard things had happened before that, but I never saw anything myself. Tamim said the same things that I did. I’ve spoken with them, asked if there is a problem. Both of them have assured me that it won’t affect their game. I’ve said the same thing in the interview,” he added.
Nazmul further added that he doesn’t know the reason behind the rift between the players, “Something has happened between them. In the past, Shakib and Tamim were great friends. But suddenly something seems to have happened between them… I don’t know what the problem is. If I knew, I could’ve planned about how I could go about it. I still haven’t asked them what’s the problem.”
Other than Shakib, all members of the team were present at the meeting. Shakib was absent as he was busy at a promotional event, which he had informed the BCB president beforehand.