Bangladesh legend Tamim Iqbal and former England cricketer Alex Hales got into a heated altercation during a Bangladesh Premier League 2024-25 match on January 9. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media in which Tamim could be seen losing his control. It happened after Rangpur Riders beat Fortune Barishal in a nail-biting thriller at the Sylhet International Stadium. Barishal captain Tamim, whose team was at the receiving end of the terrific finish, was seen involved in a war of words with opponent team opener Hales.

Both the players opened up on the fight later.

“He was asking if I was embarrassed for getting banned for drugs for England and he was asking if I was still taking drugs and he was very, very rude. It’s a real shame really because if anything happens on the field that just ends on the field, but to get personal and that too after the game, I think is pathetic, to be honest,” Hales revealed on Channel 24, as quoted by Wisden.

Notably, England batsman Alex Hales, in 2019, served a ban for an ‘off-field’ incident reported to involve recreational drug use.

Tamim too presented his case to another media organisation, stating that it was Hales who was at fault.

“He abused Emon, and it was visible on TV. He mocked him again today. If you watch the celebration video, Rangpur players ran towards (Nurul) after the win, but Hales kept looking at me and mocking me. It seemed like he wanted a fight,” explained Tamim on Riasad Azim’s YouTube channel.

“Later, when he again insulted Emon, I had to stand up for my teammate, and I have no regrets about doing so. We both exchanged words.”

He added: “I didn’t even know about his ban or follow him that closely. But I do know there are many accusations against him in England. If anyone says something about me or my team, I will always stand up for us, regardless of how I’m portrayed on TV.”