Bangladesh batter Tamim Iqbal was seen at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday for the first time since he announced to step down as ODI captain.
The national team cricketers are going through their fitness training at SBNCS under trainer Nick Lee. They will undergo skill training on August 8.
Tamim, who returned to the country on 31 July after receiving treatment in London held a discussion with the BCB medical team. The 34-year-old spent time in the medical department and, according to sources, the southpaw discussed his rehabilitation process with doctors. He later visited the cricket operations department before leaving Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) premises.
Tamim's initial two-week rest is set to continue till August 11, following which he will go through rehabilitation. According to the chairman of the cricket operations committee, Jalal Yunus, the left-handed opener is expected to start net sessions from August 19.
"We had a meeting today (Sunday) and Tamim is expected to undergo further rehabilitation with [fitness coach] Nick Lee for the first week from tomorrow (Monday). If things go well, Tamim may start working at the nets from August 19," Jalal told agencies on Sunday.
Tamim has long been suffering from a back injury which sidelined him from the upcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The 34-year-old stepped down from the captaincy citing back injury problem after holding a meeting with senior officials following treatment.
Tamim was given 1.5 months of mental break to recover from the back injury which ruled him out of the Asia Cup.
His current rehabilitation plan will to overcome the injury issues and return for Bangladesh's home ODI series against New Zealand right before the World Cup in India.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) should make a quick choice for a change of guard following Tamim Iqbal's decision to relinquish ODI captaincy just two months before the 2023 World Cup in India. The available options for the leadership role are nothing but wafer-thin.
Veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das, who led Bangladesh in the last two ODIs against Afghanistan in Iqbal's absence, are front-runners to fill the big shoes with two marquee events in the pipeline — Asia Cup and World Cup.
In the same press conference where Iqbal announced to step down as ODI skipper, BCB president Nazmul Hassan named Shakib as the "obvious" choice for replacement, but also added that the board would like to understand the player's plans.
