“I wasn’t going to play anyway” - Taskin responds on missing India game

Taskin Ahmed’s absence from Bangladesh’s crucial encounter against India raised concerns amongst many. Bangladesh had to play that game with only two pacers, replacing Taskin with Jaker Ali, an extra batter. 

Later, a Bangladesh Cricket Official (BCB) official confirmed that it was because Taskin overslept. 

However, according to the statement given by Taskin to Ajker Patrika, a Dhaka-based newspaper, his absence from the side was due to team combination reasons, not because he overslept and arrived late at the ground. 

“I was a little late, but I reached at the ground before the toss,” Taskin told the newspaper. 

“I arrived at the ground around 30-40 minutes before the toss. I missed the team bus. The bus left the hotel at 8.35 am. I left for the ground at 8.43 am. I almost reached the ground with the bus. It is not as if they didn't pick me up because I arrived late. I wasn't going to play anyway.”

Read: BCB official confirms reason behind Taskin’s absence in India clash

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan, however, didn’t mention any team combination-related reasons while talking about Taskin missing out on the India game. He had told reporters that he came to the ground just 5-10 minutes before the toss, and that made it difficult for him to get selected for the game. 

"The bus usually leaves at a particular time. It is the rule that the team bus doesn't wait for anyone," Shakib said. 

"If someone misses the bus by chance, they can arrive in the managers' car or a taxi. West Indies is a difficult place for transport. He came 5-10 minutes before the toss, so naturally, it was difficult for the team management to select him. It was also a difficult situation for the player. 

Taskin apologised to the team, and everyone took it very normally. It was an unintentional mistake. It ended there.”

Bangladesh are currently facing a lot of criticism for their lacklustre World Cup campaign, where they couldn’t win a single game in the Super Eight stage of the tournament.

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