“Stay strong, champion” - India’s two-time World Cup winner sends wishes to Tamim Iqbal after Bangladesh batter suffers heart attack

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal suffered a medical emergency on Monday afternoon (March 24), after he complained of chest pain during a Dhaka Premier League match between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Shinepukur Cricket Club. He had to be rushed to a hospital in the city, where he underwent emergency angioplasty after suffering a heart attack.

A few past and present cricketers expressed concern and wished the 36-year-old a speedy recovery. One of them was India's 2011 ODI World Cup and 2007 T20 World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh who expressed confidence in the former left-handed opening batter emerging stronger from the medical scare.

"Sending my prayers and wishes to Tamim Iqbal and his family. You’ve faced tough opponents before and come out stronger, this will be no different. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Stay strong, champion," Yuvraj wrote on X on Monday.

Doctors say Tamim Iqbal had heart attack, cricketer kept under observation

The doctors at the hospital released an official statement on Tamim Iqbal's health, saying that he had come to the hospital in a critical condition, adding that medical procedures had gone smoothly.

"He returned to us in a critical condition. We can call it a heart attack, and we subsequently did an angiogram and angioplasty to remove the blockage. The medical procedure has gone smoothly. He is currently under observation. The swift coordination between the medical staff at BKSP and the hospital ensured Tamim was treated quickly," the statement read (via ESPN Cricinfo).

An ESPN Cricinfo report said that soon after hearing the news, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) canceled a scheduled board meeting and BCB president Faruque Ahmed went to the hospital where the batter had been kept under observation.

Tamim had announced his retirement from international cricket in January 2025, days before the team left for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He last represented Bangladesh in September 2023 and called it a day before the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, but was forced to reverse the decision after intervention from the country's then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In a career spanning 16 years, Tamim Iqbal amassed 5134 runs in 70 Tests with 31 half centuries and 10 centuries and also made 8357 runs in 243 ODIs with 56 fifties and 14 hundreds. In the shortest format, the southpaw scored 1758 runs in 78 matches at a strike rate of 116.96.

The former opening batter was part of the commentary team during Bangladesh's tour of India in September-October 2024, a series that saw the visitors lose the Test series 2-0 and the T20I series 3-0.