'He asked me if I was still taking drugs': Alex Hales, Tamim Iqbal involved in ugly fight, BAN opener denies accusation

Alex Hales and Tamim Iqbal had a huge war of words during the Bangladesh Premier League, with Hales accusing Tamim of bringing up his history of drug use.

Rangpur Riders won in dramatic and climactic fashion in their Bangladesh Premier League match against Fortune Barishal, with captain Nurul Hasan playing a blinder of 32* off just 7 deliveries to take his team home when 26 were needed off the final over.

Tamim Iqbal had to be separated from Alex Hales by his teammates following a loss to Rangpur Riders in Sylhet. (Screengrab)

The dramatic scenes at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium brought with them an edge of confrontation and spice, as Bangladesh international opener Tamim Iqbal and former England opener Alex Hales had a spirited exchange of words following the conclusion of the match.

Hales, who represents Rangpur, reportedly had a clash with Barishal captain Tamim, and spoke to Channel 24 regarding the words that were swapped between the experienced pair in the middle.

"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,” explained Hales, who saw his international career come to a premature end in 2019 after England axed him from the team in the wake of a recreational drug use ban levied against the batter.

Tamim fires back with his version

Video cameras captured Tamim needing to be separated from some Rangpur players, although it isn’t clear on video who he was taking issue with or what he was saying in the moment. In an interview later, Tamim provided his side of the story regarding the mini-battle to Bangladeshi journalist Raisad Azim, saying he was coming to the defence of 18-year-old teammate Iqbal Hossain Emon.

“He abused Emon, and it was visible on TV. He mocked him again today,” explained Tamim. “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.”

“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,” Tamim said.

The southpaw also added on by saying: “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.”

Earlier in the match, Tamim was also captured letting his frustrations out at Taijul Islam during Rangpur’s chase. Although Hales only contributed 1 run to the chase, his team used powerful cameos throughout the order to seal a win off the last ball in the match.

Rangpur rise to top in the table with six wins in six matches so far this tournament, while Tamim’s Barishal sits right behind them in second place with three wins.