No hate crime: Tamim

Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal has revealed on Twitter that he and his family had not been victims of a hate crime, as reported by some media.

"I want all my fans and well wishers to know that I cut short my season with Essex to come back home early for personal reasons. Some media reported that we were the target of attempted hate crime. This is really not true. England is one my of favorite places to play cricket and Essex have been entirely gracious even though I had to leave early. I thank all my fans and well wishers for their concern and messages and look forward to going back to England for future matches," the star opener said on his page.

Tamim along with his wife Ayesha Siddiqua and son Arham Iqbal Khan were chased by some miscreants on their way home from a dinner two days back, a BCB director seeking anonymity had claimed.

Ayesha was wearing a scarf, which might have been the reason for the miscreants to attack them, he added.

The criminals also had acid with them, he further said.

The 28-year-old signed only last week for an eight game stint in the T20 Blast county competition. He appeared in Sunday’s seven-wicket loss to Kent but on Tuesday Essex released a statement saying his stay was over, said AFP.

“Essex County Cricket Club can confirm that overseas player Tamim Iqbal has left the club with immediate effect due to personal reasons,” the statement read.

“We wish him all the best, and it would be appreciated if Tamim’s privacy is respected during this time.”

Source: Prothom Alo