Tamim Iqbal has been granted a break from cricket by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). According to ESPNCricinfo, the 30-year-old opener's request for some time off in early August has been approved by the board. This mean's that he will miss the one-off Test against Afghanistan and the T20I series that follows.
This will be the first time that Tamim will miss a series without any injuries. He will now be available for Bangladesh's tour of India in November where they will play three T20Is and two Tests.
In his letter to the BCB, Tamim, who is Bangladesh's highest run-scorer in all formats of the game, had asked for a break after a poor run of form in which he scored just one half-century and had a lean run in the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.
He had spoken about the issues he faced during the 2015 World Cup in which he was subjected to abuse on social media, and said that similar treatment was meted out to him in recent months. Tamim said that the memories of 2015 impeded his preparation for the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales.
