An altercation erupted between Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh legend, and Alex Hales, the former England cricketer, during a Bangladesh Premier League 2024-25 match on January 9. A video has gone viral on social media in which Tamim could be seen losing his control. It happened after Rangpur Riders beat Fortune Barishal in a nail-biting thriller at the Sylhet International Stadium. Barishal captain Tamim, whose team was at the receiving end of the terrific finish, was seen involved in a war of words with opponent team opener Hales.
Both players later opened on the fight.
“He was asking if I was embarrassed for getting banned for drugs for England and he was asking if I was still taking drugs and he was very, very rude. It’s a real shame really because if anything happens on the field that just ends on the field, but to get personal and that too after the game, I think is pathetic, to be honest,” Hales revealed on Channel 24, as quoted by Wisden.
It is worth noting that in 2019, the England batsman Alex Hales received a drug ban based on an off-the-field incident which was said to involve the recreational use of drugs.
Tamim also brought forth his side to another media outfit, claiming that it was actually Hales who had the issue.
“He has abused Emon, and that was clear on television. He made some fun of him again today. If you watch the celebration video, the Rangpur players ran towards (Nurul) after winning, Hales, however, kept staring at me, mocking me. It seemed like he was up to a fight,” Tamim explained to the YouTube channel of Riasad Azim.
“He later insulted Emon again, and it was necessary for me to back my teammate, which I regret not at all. The two of us exchanged something.”
He added: “I didn’t even know about his ban or follow him that closely. But I do know there are many accusations against him in England. If anyone says something about me or my team, I will always stand up for us, regardless of how I’m portrayed on TV.”
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