Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has addressed the speculation surrounding Tamim Iqbal's potential return to the national team, making it clear that Tamim himself needs to express his desire to play international cricket again.

The conversation about Tamim's comeback intensified after Shanto and Tamim engaged in a private discussion following a Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match between Abahani Limited and Prime Bank Cricket Club at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Tamim had retired from the national team last year during a home series against Afghanistan but reversed his decision after 28 hours due to the intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Subsequently, he played two ODIs against New Zealand but took a break to regain full fitness. However, he hasn't returned to the national team since, citing unresolved issues with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

Shanto commented on the situation, saying, "If he comes back to the national team, the people will be happy and obviously the players also will be happy. He retired from T20 but there are still two formats. He can come back to any format of cricket."

Regarding their recent conversation, Shanto explained, "Yes, we talked yesterday. We discussed cricket, and I conveyed my thoughts as the captain. It's difficult to resolve everything immediately, and he also needs time. Let's finish the DPL tournament first. I also need to think further. But the most important thing is Tamim's desire to return. He needs to express that, and then we can proceed."

While Tamim has retired from T20 cricket and has no interest in playing Test cricket due to its demanding fitness requirements, Shanto emphasized that the current focus is not on bringing back retired players like Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim into the T20 squad, especially with the T20 World Cup approaching.

Shanto also cautioned against setting excessively high expectations for the T20 World Cup, urging fans to manage their anticipation. He stated, "Enormous talks and excessive expectations before any World Cup can raise unnecessary pressure. I want to urge the fans to temper their expectations. We, as players, want to achieve something special and elevate our team so that our fans can be proud of us. However, it's not beneficial to set extremely high expectations."