Credits: BPL/X
Rangpur Riders’ opener Alex Hales revealed the reason behind his confrontation with Fortune Barishal skipper Tamim Iqbal. On Thursday, January 9, both sides came together for an exciting clash of the Bangladesh Premier League at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The match that saw Rangpur Riders winning the game by three wickets was filled with high-voltage drama, which went beyond the gameplay. The match ended in chaos as Iqbal and Hales engaged in an explosive exchange, which made it to the headlines.
The incident started during the handshake, and according to reports, Hales made a face that Tamim found disrespectful. Iqbal, who is often known for his calm and composed demeanour, was seen walking towards Hales, reportedly saying “Why are you behaving this way? If you have something to say, say it to my face. Act like a man.” Later, Hales opened up on the matter and revealed what provoked him. He revealed, “He was asking if I was embarrassed for getting banned for drugs in 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 it is pathetic to be honest.”
Tamim Iqbal receives demerit point for Alex Hales incident
Fortune Barishal skipper Tamim Iqbal has been handed one demerit point and a warning for breaching Level 1 Article of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Code of Conduct during the team’s fifth clash against Rangpur Riders. The decision was confirmed by match referee Neeyamur Rashid Rahul on Friday morning, January 10. Tamim also accepted the charges and eliminated the need for a formal hearing as he did not contest the sanction.
Talking about the match, Rangpur Riders won the match by three wickets. The game saw Nurul Hasan being adjudged Player of the Match for his knock of 32* runs off 7 balls. On Barishal side, Kyle Mayers remained not out on 61* runs off 29 balls while Tamim Iqbal came up with a knock of 40 runs off 34 balls and Najmul Hossain Shanto hit 41 runs off 30 balls. On Rangpur’s side, Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah were joint high scorers with knocks of 48 runs.
