Shahidi: I respect Tamim too much
There are not many instances of captains leaving international cricket mid-series and that's what surprised the Afghanistan skipper.
Afghanistan ODI captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said Tamim Iqbal's sudden decision to retire was surprising for everyone and called the latter a "nice and kind" person.
There are not many instances of captains leaving international cricket mid-series and that's what surprised the Afghanistan skipper.
"I don't know because I don't know what happened with them because I focus on us. Yeah, you can say it's surprising for everyone that he left in between the series," Shahidi said.
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Afghanistan won the previous game by 17 runs in D/L method and they will have the opportunity of sealing an ODI series for the first time against Bangladesh when they take the field on Saturday. Shahidi said Tamim's absence will boost his team's confidence.
"He was one of the top players for Bangladesh. He did well in the past also and is a more experienced guy and captain for a long time in this format. So it will be a good advantage for us. Looking forward to tomorrow's game, we will try our best," he stated.
Shahidi was the captain when Afghanistan met Bangladesh in 2022 in an ODI series as well and thus he knows Tamim pretty well.
"I don't know what happened and what's going on because we focus on our team and our way. Also, I know Tamim because in the last series I was captain, he was captain. Off the field he is a very nice and kind guy. I respect him too much," he concluded.
