Papon fails to reciprocate Tamim's decency

When Tamim Iqbal announced his shock retirement from international cricket at an emotionally-charged press conference on Thursday, there was hardly any doubt that the decision was precipitated by what was being said about him in media and how he was being treated by the cricket high-ups.

It is never easy for any sportsman to say goodbye to the game which they play with a lot of passion and dedication, and for someone like Tamim, who has made the country proud with his outstanding achievements over the last 16 years or so, it must have been very painful.

Despite the pain, which was evident from his breaking down in tears a few times during the press conference, Tamim made sure he maintained his decency and did not throw mud to anyone; instead he thanked everyone for the support he got over the years.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon, on the contrary, has once again come up with a series of ungainly remarks regarding Tamim in an interview with a national daily, terming the entire incident as a 'drama.'

"I am fed up. Whatever is happening, this drama, I can't take it anymore," Papon said.

When asked whether he had seen Tamim's tearful announcement, Papon said, "I don't understand why he cried. Nobody told him to step down as he did it by his own, then why cry? And why has he disappeared now? He may have thought we might try to stop him but now he has already done it, so why has he switched off his phone now?"

There may be many reasons behind Tamim's sudden retirement, but one of the key reasons is believed to be Papon's remarks about him ahead of the first ODI against Afghanistan.

The BCB boss had blasted Tamim and questioned his decision to announce that he wasn't fully fit in front of the media despite passing the fitness test for the match.

And in an interview with The Daily Star last night, Papon reiterated that he would do the same and say the same things if such situations arose again.

"I will call it out whenever it happens. He passed the fitness test. Then why did he say in front of the media that he was not fully fit? If he was not fit then how did he get the green signal to play? If he had a problem regarding this he should've gone to the physio or come to us. What was his intention behind saying this to the media? Things don't work like that in international cricket. We never tolerated this and won't do it in the future," he said.

When the situation demanded some sensibility, Papon did quite the opposite with insensitive remarks and by insulting a cricketer like Tamim in front of the media -- something which he has done quite consistently over the years.