Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed found himself in hot waters when he missed the bus for T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 game against India. Taskin slept till late and one of the officials with the Bangladesh contingent had to stay back in the hotel to get him to the ground. He arrived at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua minutes before the toss. While there were speculations that coach Chandrika Hathursingha dropped him on disciplinary grounds, Taskin has denied it and said that he ‘wasn’t going to play anyway’.
"I was a little late, but I reached at the ground before the toss," Taskin told Dhaka-based newspaper Ajker Patrika. "I arrived at the ground around 30-40 minutes before the toss. I missed the team bus. The bus left the hotel at 8.35am. I left for the ground at 8.43am. I almost reached the ground with the bus. It is not as if they didn't pick me because I arrived late. I wasn't going to play anyway."
Jaker Ali replaced Taskin as Bangladesh played with two pacers Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman. Bangladesh pacers struggled in Taskin’s absence, especially Mustafizur as India posted a total of 196/5 on the board. Bangladesh ended up losing the match by 50 runs.
Shakib on Taskin missing the bus
In Taskin's absence, left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan opened the bowling. Taskin apologised for missing the team bus to everyone in the side. Shakib explained how we went down in Antigua on the morning of the clash against India.
"The bus usually leaves at a certain time. It is the rule that the team bus doesn't wait for anyone," Shakib told reporters on Tuesday. "If by chance someone misses the bus, they can arrive in the managers' car or a taxi.
"West Indies is a difficult place for transport. He arrived 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."
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