'A performing Tamim will have everything on his side'

While there are lots of question marks regarding Tamim Iqbal's return to the team following his unretirement, however, two of his mentors in former ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim talked about the most important part of Tamim's return, which is to come back with motive and full fitness.

Tamim had departed for the UK on Tuesday and was set for meetings with doctors, accompanied by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief physician, Debashish Chowdhury. He had held online meetings with doctors at least three to four times and his schedules had been set prior to the visit to the UK.

He has a few MRI reports with him and more scans are to be done in England, according to BCB sources.

Tamim had only overturned his decision to retire following intervention from Bangladesh Prime Minister. Tamim also had requested that Mashrafe Bin Mortaza become the team's mentor for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. At the moment, though, Mashrafe did not see the point of having a mentor under the current circumstances.

"What's to gain from a mentor? Can someone tell me? I don't know why he [Tamim] asked. I don't know what a mentor does. When a situation [team's requirement] like that comes, then something can be said. At this moment I don't have an answer," Mashrafe said while attending a programme for a university yesterday.

He further clarified that if the Prime Minister asks him too, there will be no objections from Mashrafe's side. However, his main issue at the moment in Tamim's retirement saga is not what caused the player to retire in the first place. Rather he wanted Tamim to hold his end of the bargain in terms of fitness and performance.

"I don't know exactly [what happened]. He didn't share much with me. I was more upset seeing Tamim vulnerable.

"I feel that Tamim should return with a hundred per cent fitness. We won't hope that he will be thinking about who is on his side or not. We will be thinking that he is a performer who will perform and automatically everything will be on his side," Mashrafe said.

The upcoming World Cup is also a golden opportunity for Tamim, having served the national team for a long time. At the twilight of his career, veteran coach Fahim believes that all his focus needs to be on getting the best out of what probably would be his last appearance in the showpiece event.

"The World Cup is a big occasion and, of course, he would want to perform very well. He is still the captain, as the BCB president said. If there had been criticism of him, what would be best is for him to reply to those criticisms with performances. He is capable of that. If he focuses on other issues, it will make him more vulnerable.

"What's most important right now is to be free of injury so he can play. To be able to answer criticism with performances is the most satisfying. Another thing is to play well because he may not have that opportunity again, so it has to be seen from the view that it's the best opportunity of his life," Fahim told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Lot of people support him and want him to do well, so he has to borrow strength from within himself, not outside. Injuries have long-term and short-term solutions, and maybe he will discuss the short-term solutions with doctors keeping the World Cup in mind. What will be key now is how much he can focus on his physical fitness."