Tamim Iqbal pulls out of India tour to be with pregnant wife

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has pulled out of his side's upcoming tour to India in order to be with his wife, who is expecting their second child later this month.  

The 30-year-old, who was named in the T20I side despite nursing a rib injury, had earlier informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that he might have to miss the second Test against India from November 22 in Kolkata. 

However, Iqbal has now confirmed that he has conveyed to his country's cricket board that he would be with his wife for the weeks heading up to the delivery date too. 

"Tamim had informed us earlier that he would miss the second Test in Kolkata but now he will be with his wife for the coming weeks," ESPNcricinfo quoted chief selector Minhajul Abedin as saying. 

As a result of Iqbal's absence, Imrul Kayes has been named in the national squad as the replacement for the three T20Is, beginning November 3 at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi. 

"Imrul has already started training with us as Tamim's replacement," Abedin added.

Iqbal, who had earlier missed his side's home Test series against Afghanistan last month after requesting for a break from all cricket, has now become the second player to miss out on India tour after Mohammad Saifuddin was ruled out due to a back injury. 

The full Bangladesh T20I squad is as follows:

Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Liton Das, Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Aminul Islam, Arafat Sunny, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam