“He was asking if I was still taking drugs” - Alex Hales reveals heated exchange with Tamim Iqbal in BPL 2025 match

Alex Hales and Tamim Iqbal were involved in a heated exchange during a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025 clash on Thursday (January 9). The incident occurred during the post-match handshake between the Rangpur Riders and Fortune Barishal.

After the ugly spat between the two, England cricketer Alex Hales opened up on what Tamim Iqbal told him. Speaking to Channel 24, Hales revealed that the Bangladesh cricketer asked him if he was embarrassed for getting banned for drugs for England. He also asked if Hales was still taking drugs.

Notably, Hales was dropped from England's World Cup squad in 2019 and from all formats after he was banned for 21 days for using recreational drugs.

"He was asking if I was embarrassed for getting banned for drugs for England and he was asking if I was still taking drugs and he was very, very rude. It's a real shame really because if anything happens on the field that just ends on the field, but to get personal and that too after the game, I think is pathetic to be honest," Alex Hales stated (via One Cricket).

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What led to Alex Hales and Tamim Iqbal's heated exchange after BPL 2025 match

Alex Hales and Tamim Iqbal got involved in a heated exchange after the BPL 2025 game between Rangpur Riders and Fortune Barishal. As reported by OneCricket, Hales made a face at Tamim, which triggered the Bangladesh batter.

"Why are you behaving this way? If you have something to say, say it to my face. Act like a man," Tamim reportedly told Hales.

The two got into a verbal argument and Tamim was seen fuming with rage. The staff members of Tamim's team were seen ushering him away and trying to calm him down, as can be seen in the video below.

Fortune Barishal batted first and put up a strong total of 197/5 on the board. Chasing the target, Rangpur Riders got over the finish line with three wickets to spare in the end.

Playing for the Riders, Hales was dismissed after scoring just 1 run in the chase despite his team's eventual victory.