Cricket star who left after a week denies he was racially abused
A BANGLADESHI cricket star has left England within a week of arriving after reports he and his family were being made targets of racial abuse.
Tamim Iqbal, 28, who has played 49 Tests and who scored a century in a one-day international against England last month, was signed last week for an eight-match Twenty20 stint by Essex, and played his first match with the county the following day.
But he has returned to Bangladesh with his wife and one-yearold baby, reportedly after insults were allegedly hurled at him and his family.
“There was an incident involving insults being thrown at him and his family, and led to him going back home,” a source close to the Bangladesh Cricket Board told The Daily Telegraph, adding that the insults were racially motivated.
The source added that reports in Bangladeshi newspapers that his wife had been subject to an acid attack were untrue.
Tamim’s family was reportedly uneasy about the environment in London even before his arrival in England. Protests have been held in
East London against a backdrop of Islamophobia and acid attacks.
The opening batsman is thought to have told Essex County Cricket Club ear- lier this week about an altercation and asked that his contract be terminated so his family could return to Bangladesh. The club immediately agreed to his request, according to reports. Tamim, the first Bangladeshi to score 10,000 international runs, making him his country’s highest runscorer, played down the incident. He wrote on Facebook that England was one of his “favourite places” and denied that he had been targeted by a hate crime. It is not thought that any incident has been reported to police.
“I want all my fans and well-wishers to know that I cut short my season with Essex to come back home early for personal reasons,” he said.
“Some media reported that we were the target of attempted hate crime. This is really not true. England is one of my favourite places to play cricket and Essex have been entirely gracious even though I had to leave early. I thank all my fans and wellwishers for their concern and messages and look forward to going back to England for future matches.” In his only match for the county, Tamim scored seven runs against Kent last Sunday.
A spokesman for Essex County Cricket Club said that Tamim had “left with immediate effect due to personal reasons”, adding: “We wish him all the best and it would be appreciated if Tamim’s privacy is respected during this time.”