Tamim keeps India series hope alive as BCB, BCCI search for new window

 
Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal has kept the door open for a long-delayed white-ball series against India, saying the two boards remain in contact and are working towards finding a new window for the tour.

The proposed series, comprising three ODIs and three T20Is, was originally scheduled for an earlier window but has repeatedly been delayed amid strained relations between the two cricket boards.

Tamim, however, does not believe the series is dead.

"Both BCCI and BCB, we are looking at windows as well, which time what can be done," Tamim said. "The intentions are very positive."

While the timing of the series remains uncertain, Tamim's comments suggest that both sides are willing to keep working towards a solution.

His remarks also came with a candid reflection on one of the most difficult episodes in Bangladesh cricket this year-the country's withdrawal from the T20 World Cup.

Bangladesh had pulled out of the tournament after a dispute surrounding the handling of Mustafizur Rahman's IPL situation, with security concerns later cited as a key reason for not travelling to India.

Looking back, Tamim acknowledged that the situation could have been managed differently.

"We should have definitely played the World Cup. We should have definitely done the negotiation in a better way," he said.

Tamim indicated that discussions surrounding the dispute had escalated too quickly and that a different approach might have produced a better outcome.

He also suggested that there were details from the negotiations that he was not prepared to make public.

"There were a lot of things said and done during those negotiations, which, if I make public, you will be surprised," Tamim said.

Despite the difficult episode, the BCB chief now appears keen to move the relationship forward.

For Bangladesh, restoring regular bilateral cricket with India would carry sporting and commercial importance. But before that happens, the two boards must find a mutually workable window in an already crowded international calendar.

Tamim's message is therefore both cautious and optimistic: the original dates may have disappeared, but the series itself has not.

Bangladesh are still waiting for India-but this time, Tamim wants the conversation to end with cricket.