Bangladesh : Taskin Ahmed, Bangladesh’s vice-captain, has addressed the speculation surrounding his absence from the team during their Super Eight match against India in the T20 World Cup 2024. Taskin admitted that he missed the team bus on the morning of the match in North Sound but clarified that this was not the reason for his exclusion from the game.
In an interview with Dhaka-based newspaper Ajker Patrika, Taskin explained, “I was a little late, but I reached the ground before the toss. I arrived around 30-40 minutes before the toss. I missed the team bus, which left the hotel at 8:35 am. I departed for the ground at 8:43 am and almost reached with the bus. It wasn’t because I arrived late that they didn’t pick me up. I wasn’t going to play anyway.”
For the match against India, Bangladesh opted to replace Taskin with Jaker Ali, while Mahedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan opened the bowling. However, Taskin returned to the lineup for Bangladesh’s subsequent game against Afghanistan on June 24. He clarified that no disciplinary action was taken against him, and team captain Shakib Al Hasan confirmed that the matter was resolved after Taskin apologized.
Shakib Al Hasan told reporters, “The team bus doesn’t wait for anyone, as per the rules. If someone misses the bus, they can arrive in the manager’s car or a taxi. It was difficult for Taskin because he arrived 5-10 minutes before the toss. Taskin apologized, and everyone took it very normally. It was an unintentional mistake and ended there.”
Addressing the incident, BCB president Nazmul Hassan said during a press conference, “When I noticed Taskin wasn’t in the XI, I spoke to team manager Rabeed Imam, who informed me Taskin had missed the team bus but had since arrived at the ground. I will review the report from the concerned department.”
Taskin’s temporary absence did not impact his position within the team, as he was included in the subsequent match lineup, indicating that the incident did not have lasting repercussions on his standing.
