Tamim retires as one of Bangladesh's most decorated cricketers

A teary-eyed Tamim Iqbal said goodbye to international cricket on Thursday, just hours after Bangladesh lost the first ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistan under his captaincy. His announcement came just three months before the ICC Cricket World Cup in India where he was set to lead the team. 

Tamim said it was not a sudden decision but refused to disclose the factors influencing his decision. But the southpaw, whose career spanned 16 years, retired as one of the country's finest-ever cricketers.

The Business Standard (TBS) looks at some of his greatest achievements for Bangladesh in international cricket. 

Most prolific batter

Tamim scored 15,205 runs in 389 international matches across formats, the most by a Bangladeshi batter. He was the first Bangladeshi batter to score 10,000, 11,000, 12,000, 13,000, 14,000 and 15,000 international runs. 

Most centuries 

Tamim has 25 international centuries, comfortably the most by a batter from Bangladesh. He scored 14 hundreds in ODIs, 10 in Tests and one in T20Is. He is  part of a select group of players to score hundreds in all three formats. 

Highest runs in a single venue 

Tamim scored 2853 runs in ODIs at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) which is the highest by a batter on a single ground. He broke Sanath Jayasuriya's record (2656 at the R Premadasa Stadium). 

Highest score by a Bangladeshi in an ICC event

Tamim Iqbal scored 128 off 142 balls in their opening game in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. It is the joint-highest score by a Bangladeshi in an ICC event. 

Only player to score four consecutive fifties in Asia Cup

Tamim famously hit four consecutive fifties in the 2012 Asia Cup where Bangladesh exceeded expectations and were agonisingly close to winning the competition. He is still the only batter to achieve the feat.