The most crucial aspect in the situation surrounding Tamim Iqbal’s injury is how things were allowed to escalate so far that led to the skipper having to step down from captaincy.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief Nazmul Hassan on Thursday attended a press conference alongside Tamim and cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus. The board president said it needs to be investigated as to why there was a discrepancy between how the matter was presented to him and what happened in reality.
Tamim had underwent multiple MRI scans in various countries but only the MRI done in Dubai recently, one which Tamim forwarded to the BCB president, had revealed a ‘problem’. The issue invoked the BCB president’s ire as he was struck by the fact that the matter had not been revealed to him much earlier.
Tamim, at the same press conference, also stated clearly that he himself had knowledge of the particular back injury he had suffered since November 2022.
It is a serious allegation that a national team player’s injury was either downplayed or there was a negligence in dealing with the matter.
“Tamim had done MRI in Dhaka as well along with everything that was required. He went to see doctors in India, Bangkok and London by his own means, so he has done that quite a few times now. This is the first time he sent me a report from Dubai and in that report I saw that he has a problem. You can ask him [Tamim] what was the first thing I told him. I asked him to make a conference call with me, along with Debashish Chowdhury [BCB’s chief physician], the three of us together. Why wasn’t I told this thing (before),” Nazmul said at the press conference.
“The problem I have was revealed in November 2022. The thing is that someone informs him [Nazmul] of the matter. When I sent the report to him for the first time, and I didn’t send him any report before this, maybe he [BCB president] would have told me. When I sent the report to him for the first time, he immediately called me and asked why this wasn’t matter informed to him before.’ We have discussed this matter a lot today. It should not happen to anyone and if we are open in most cases then these confusion or problems won’t arise. We are very clear what has happened and what there was for the last six months,” Tamim had clarified.
It was, however, learnt that the medical team had informed the team management of the left-hander’s injury status on a regular basis. According to BCB sources, that medical department related personnel such as physio and those who provide support with rehab have all the information regarding injuries. The coaches, cricket operations chairman are ones who the medical department pass the information to. Then the responsibility becomes theirs to communicate to the BCB president about urgent developments related to injuries.
Nazmul himself said that he relies on Jalal Yunus to keep him informed, with Khaled Mahmud now not serving as a team director. Tamim also stated that he goes by the chain of command and relays things to his immediate boss Jalal.
Whether the diagnosis is wrong, or whether the matter was not communicated properly is the question now. When The Daily Star reached out to Jalal, he said he would talk later regarding the issue while the BCB medical department, too, refrained from talking about the development.
Nazmul said that the ‘matter needs to be investigated’. The injury has already been ‘neglected’ according to the BCB boss. Tamim’s career has already come under threat due to the injury but whether a serious investigation follows will determine whether or not such occurrences take place in the future as well.
