Tamin Iqbal leaves Essex, but “not due to hate crime”

Bangladesh’s Cricket star Tamim Iqbal has rejected rumours  that he quit English County club Essex because of a hate crime targeting his family. The 28-year-old opening batsman cut ties with Essex after just one match, but dismissed suggestions that his sudden departure was because of an alleged attack against his wife and son.

“Some media reported that we were the target of an attempted hate crime. This is really not true,” the Bangladesh vice- captain posted on his Facebook page. “England is one of my favourite places to play cricket and Essex have been entirely gracious even though I had to leave early.”

However, an official from the Bangladesh Cricket Board said the decision followed an incident in London where Tamim, his wife Ayesha Siddiqa and one-year-old son were harassed while they were out for dinner.

“We suspect they were chased because Tamim’s wife wears a hijab. Hopefully we’ll know the details once he returns from England today,” said the cricket official.