Minister for Youth and Sports and the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Nazmul Hassan Papon hinted that Tamim Iqbal may return to the national team next year.
Papon said during a media interaction on Sunday in Savar that Tamim has been absent from the national team for a long period, prior to the last Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) season.
However, he remained silent on the matter for months following the T20 league.
The BCB also offered no definitive updates about Tamim's international comeback.
BCB's chief selector, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, recently ruled out the possibility of Tamim's return for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June (USA and the West Indies).
Amidst uncertainty surrounding Tamim's international career, board president Nazmul Hasan revealed that Tamim may return next year.
“Tamim discussed his potential return with Jalal Yunus and others. He will now meet with me,” Nazmul said, indicating he'd heard of Tamim's intention to return next year.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team is now focused on preparing for a five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe, starting May 3rd in Chattogram. The BCB has announced a 17-member preliminary preparation squad for the Zimbabwe series.