Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza revealed Tamil Iqbal himself had made the decision to come out and bat with a fractured wrist during their Asia Cup opener against Sri Lanka in Dubai on Saturday, September 15.
Mortaza insisted that Tamim should be remembered for his brave approach and heaped praise on his opening batsman, who will reportedly miss the remainder of the six-team tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the injury.
Tamim missed a Suranga Lakmal bouncer in the second over of the match only to see the ball smash into this left wrist. The 29-year-old immediately signalled to the dressing room asking for assistance.
He was unable to continue and was rushed to the local hospital as he was in severe pain and the injury appeared serious, according to Bangladesh chief selector Minajul Abedin.
The injury left Bangladesh reeling at potentially 2 for 3 as they had lost opener Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan in the first over to Lasith Malinga.
Mushfiqur Rahim stitched a 132-run stand with Mohammad Mithun for the fourth wicket but Bangladesh lost quick wickets after the fall of the latter for 63.
When Mustafizur Rahman was dismissed for 10, Bangladesh were on 229 for 9 but had 19 balls left in their innings.
'One should remember Tamim for this match'
When the innings was seemingly over, Tamim walked out to bat with special padding on his glove and support to his left hand. He batted one hand, stitched a 32-run stand with centurion Mushfiqur.
He faced only one ball after his dramatic reappearance, which was cheered on by the partisan crowd at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Nonetheless, his valiant effort, which could have put his career at risk, lifted the team's spirits and more importantly fired up Mushfiqur, who collected 31 runs off the last three overs.
"It was Tamim's decision. One should remember Tamim for this match. Anything could have happened. His career could have been affected. Mushfiqur was boosted by his reappearance at that stage. Hats off to Tamim for going out to bat at that time," captain Mortaza told the media on Saturday.
An inspired Bangladesh crushed Sri Lanka by 137 runs in the end to top Asia Cup 2018 Group B, which also has Afghanistan.
Mushfiqur: Tamim's reappearance boosted me
Mushfiqur, who made a 150-ball 144 and deservedly won the Man of the Match award, said he was surprised to see Tamim walking out to bat with the fractured wrist.
"I was really surprised that Tamim came out to bat. It shows his character and commitment to the team. It is a great gesture," Mushfiqur said.
He added: "We didn't get the start we wanted, but credit to Mithun for taking the pressure away from me. And after that I just took my chances and it paid off.
"When Tamim came out to bat, it boosted me that I should do something for him and for my country.
"Probably the best I've batted because it's difficult to concentrate with the heat and the running between the wickets as well. We've been in great nick, but I haven't been able to convert my starts into big innings. So that's paid off."
