Is Tamim becoming the new Shakib?

Every match where Tamim Iqbal is involved seems to be becoming a blockbuster.

Not only has the left-handed opener announced his retirement from international cricket after much drama and u-turns, but his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) appearances have become a bit of a novelty given that's a tournament he has been playing regularly.

But by blockbuster, what we are trying to talk about are his on-field altercations with other players.

It's well-documented how Shakib Al Hasan has always had a feisty demeanour.

From kicking the stumps and breaking them after an umpire decision didn't go in his favour, to threatening to boycott a match because of an umpiring decision in the Nidahas Trophy, fans know very well about Bangladesh's premier all-rounder 

But with Shakib not being able to play in this edition of the BPL due to him being an MP in the previous government's totalitarian regime, Tamim seems to have taken on the mantle to provide fans with some spice in the tournament which is badly lacking in star power. 

In the match against Rangpur Riders, Tamim had an altercation after the match with Rangpur opener Alex Hales.

Tamim later revealed he reacted because Hales was "verbally abusing Iqbal Hossain Emon" and he couldn't stand a senior player abusing "who was under 18".

In the last match on Sunday, where Fortune Barishal defeated Chittagong Kings by six wickets, Tamim was run out for eight runs at the non-strikers' end after a misunderstanding with his partner at the other end, Dawid Malan.

Malan would go on to score 56* from 41 balls and was adjudged the player of the match as Barishal chased down a below-par 122-run target with 19 balls to spare

But when Tamim was run out, which was never a run in the first place, he had some words with Malan which seemed to rile him up and the England batter replied in kind.

That win propelled Barishal to the second spot in the table while Chittagong remained third. 

These two incidents are not all, there was a match on Friday where Barishal faced Dhaka Capitals and Tamim threw some expletives towards Dhaka's Sabbir Rahman, which left Sabbir stunned.

And after the match, Tamim, who was the player of the match there, got visibly irritated, having to wait for Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed, and didn't take the award after the match; Najmul Hossain Shanto instead took the award on Tamim's behalf.

All of these incidents have gotten fans online and at the stadium talking.

A fan at the ground named Tanvir summed it up: "When Shakib does such things, people say it's aggression, but when Tamim does it, they call it drama. But what really is the difference?"

"Tamim is showing a new side, perhaps a side that was always there, more aggression and more desire to win at this stage of his career. I don't really mind as a fan because he has reacted to certain things when he has felt wrongly done against," Amit, another fan said.

Partho had a different take on the situation highlighting the difference between Shakib and Tamim: "Shakib would generally reserve his antics and aggression for the umpires or opposition members but never on fellow team members."

Tamim generally enjoys excellent support at Chattogram, his hometown, but even his dismissal was cheered by fans in the match against Chittagong Kings on Sunday. 

"We love Tamim as he's from here, but when it's against our home team, we don't have the option to support him," another fan, Romel said.

In a tournament where the games have not really been entertaining or closely contested for the most part and Shakib's antics have been missing, Tamim's have provided some much-needed spice and fireworks.