The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has denied pace bowler Taskin Ahmed permission to play in the current County Championship season for Yorkshire County Cricket Club because they are unwilling to take a risk with him before the World Cup.
According to Cricbuzz, YCCC head coach Ottis Gibson, who had previously served as bowling coach for the Bangladesh team, contacted the pace bowler to play for them.
Taskin requested that his former pace bowling coach speak with BCB about this matter, but the discussions were unsuccessful.
BCB cricket operation chairperson, Jalal Yunus, told Cricbuzz on Tuesday, “Yes, Yorkshire wanted him to play for them, but we turned them down because we don’t want him to play red-ball county cricket before the World Cup.”
“He (Taskin) just returned from injury and is also in our Test squad, and we have some plans for him in terms of how we want him (fitness-wise) before the World Cup,” he explained.
Bangladesh included Taskin Ahmed in the squad, despite the fact that he had recently undergone rehabilitation for a side strain. The injury prevented him from playing in the Test series against Ireland and the three one-day internationals against Ireland.
The right-arm pace bowler bowled at full strength for the first time as the hosts began practice at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday (June 4) under the direction of Chandika Hathurusingha, who had arrived in Dhaka the day before (June 3) to prepare his troops for the series, scheduled to begin at SBNS on June 14.
Habibul Bashar, a member of the BCB’s selection committee, stated that he feels terrible for the fast bowler, as he has not yet participated in a reputable international tournament despite being offered previously.
“I believe it is unfortunate for him, as both the IPL (Lucknow Super Giants) and PSL (Multan Sultans) sought him previously, but he was unavailable. “However, you must realize that he is our ace in the hole, and we cannot afford to take risks at this time before the World Cup,” Habibul said.
“I personally want him to play a global tournament (franchise-based T20 competition) and playing country is a matter of great pride, but at the same time we have to consider many factors before releasing someone for overseas competition, especially if he is coming back from an injury,” he said, adding that they will wait until the last minute to make a decision on Taskin for the lone Test against Afghanistan, scheduled to begin on June 14 at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
“I believe that we will decide whether or not he will play in the upcoming Test against Afghanistan at the last minute, as we have included him in the squad with the expectation that he will be available for the Test, but we must also keep in mind that he has only recently recovered from an injury,” Habibul concluded.
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