Dean Jones has denied Tamim Iqbal’s claims of verbal abuse during Jones’ stint as the technical director of Chittagong Kings, the BPL franchise. Tamim had accused Jones of throwing him out of the nets and using abusive language before a game that Tamim ultimately didn’t play, cricinfo reported.
Tamim made the allegations in an interview with Prothom Alo in which he revealed how he and Jones fell apart after an incident at the Academy ground in Mirpur early in the BPL campaign after the opener injured his groin in the first game. “Dean Jones told me to just do some walking with the physio, who after testing me said I can bat in the nets. I asked him to tell Dean Jones what he thought and the physio said he told Jones,” Tamim said. “But as soon as I played two balls in the nets, Jones started shouting at me, ‘get out, get out’. I protested to him that he can’t treat a national cricketer in this manner.”
“The owner told me to apologize to Jones. After I went to his hotel room, he was very rude and at one point told me, ‘you are servants, I am your boss’. I was shocked, but I didn’t tell anyone at the time.”
Jones admitted that he did ask Tamim to leave the nets, he maintains that he didn’t use such language and neither did Tamim apologize.
“I have never used such terminology and neither did Tamim apologise,” Jones told ESPNcricinfo. “Before I had arrived in Bangladesh, Samir [Quader] Chowdhury told me that I was the coach, but after I arrived I was told that I was the technical director. Still, Tamim informed me of his condition and it was made known to Chittagong’s physio as well as that of the Bangladesh team. But when I saw him batting at the nets, I told him that an injured batsman shouldn’t be batting in the nets. He didn’t want to give a fitness test either.”
Tamim further said that after he had agreed to bat at No 3 in Chittagong’s home game against Rajshahi, Jones still abused him as he was warming up ahead of the game, before coach Khaled Mahmud intervened.
“A day before the Rajshahi game he asked me if I would bat at three. I told him that I have never batted at that position but I will still play there. Later, Sujon bhai [Khaled Mahmud] told me I will open the innings,” Tamim said.
“I was warming up before the game when Jones started abusing me and kept repeating that I had complained to the team owner that I won’t bat at three. I said I didn’t tell him anything. Sujon bhai came running towards us and said the same. He told Jones that he took the decisions as the head coach. I wasn’t in a position to play after what Jones did. I told them I won’t play, but it was announced that I got sick suddenly.”
Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud said they were never willing to drop a fit Tamim but after the bust-up it was the batsman who decided not to play. “Tamim and Jones had the fight before the Rajshahi game and it was Tamim who decided he wouldn’t play that day. Chittagong Kings always wanted him to play whenever fit,” Mahmud said.
However, Jones said that Tamim didn’t agree to bat at three and maintains that it was an earlier arrangement that he had to leave the Chittagong franchise after six matches, and not because of the disagreements.
“He got upset when we asked him to bat at No. 3 because he usually opens the innings. But the management had to be equal to everyone. I have nothing against Tamim, he’s a wonderful cricketer and a precocious talent and I have no bones to pick with him.
“I had to leave for Delhi after six matches on an engagement on behalf of the government of Victoria. The Chittagong Kings knew I was only available till that time,” he said.
