Tamim Iqbal "very hopeful" to be available for 2023 ODI World Cup

Despite announcing that he'll miss the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup and wanting to step down as captain due to a back injury, Tamim Iqbal is "very hopeful" he'll be fit for the World Cup in October-November.

Bangladesh's first match in the marquee event is less than a month after the Asia Cup final on September 17.

Tamim has taken weeks of rest, consulted multiple doctors, and even visited the UK recently to get his long-recurring injury checked. The left-handed batter said he didn't want to rush recovery and is eyeing a return in the ODI series against New Zealand, which will begin on September 21.

"I want to play the New Zealand series in the best possible shape. We could have rushed it for the Asia Cup but we are opting against it. I am very hopeful that I will be available for the World Cup," he said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Tamim is Bangladesh's all-time top run-scorer in ODIs. The news comes less than a month after he announced and promptly withdrew his retirement from international cricket after a request from Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

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"I have always helped the team over everything else" - Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal, who led Bangladesh in 37 matches, winning 21 and losing 14, informed the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of his decision to denounce captaincy, which he labeled "unselfish". He said:

"I think the [captaincy] journey has been fantastic. The results speak for themselves. I told Papon bhai (BCB president Nazmul Hassan) that it would have been very selfish of me if I had stayed on as captain. Whoever knows me, knows that I put the team ahead of myself."

Hassan said the decision came as a shock and the board is in a fix to find a replacement, with all-rounder Shakib al Hasan and batter Litton Das being touted as possible options.