Taskin still eyes on semi-final berth

Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed believes the team still has the chance to qualify for the semi-final if they win the remaining four group stage matches of the World Cup.

Bangladesh have won just one match out of five and Taskin told this ahead of their match against Netherlands that will take place at the Eden Gardens of Kolkata on Saturday.

“It's not finished yet. Still four more games to go. If we can win those four, anything can happen because there are some run rate issues and also a lot of teams like England and Afghanistan beat England they lost against Sri Lanka. So, if we can win four there will be a different story maybe but at the moment we are planning to go match by match. Yes, we didn't play well enough as we expected from both units, batting, and bowling, but four games to go. So, we are looking forward to doing well as well,” said Taskin who was dropped in Bangladesh’s last two matches against South Africa and India.

The pacer thought both batting and bowling let them down in the tournament as they have lost four consecutive matches after winning the first match.

“Our fielding was pretty good so far in this tournament but batting and bowling, I think as we expected we haven't done well enough so there are a lot more improvements. But also, we also know that we are better than that. And we are capable. But yeah, we haven't done great. So, we are hoping to do well in the next four matches.”

Taskin is regarded as the leader of the Bangladesh pace battery but he has so far had an awful World Cup. The 28-year old has picked up just two wickets in the tournament so far and has bowled just 20 overs conceding 126 runs.

Taskin emphasised the fact of bowling fast and the pleasure that gives him by doing so.

“As a fast bowler, when you can bowl fast, it's a different feeling. And you need a lot of passion and hard work. Also, you need some natural talent as well. So, I'm also a fast bowler. When I'm fit and I'm feeling good, and when I'm in good rhythm, when I bowl fast, that gives me different pleasure. So, it's always good to bowl fast.”

But the pacer understood it is not the speed but other skills matter in the surfaces where matches are being played.

“So far, I played in this World Cup and also, I have been watching. It's nothing much for the bowlers. It's kind of batting friendly, all the grounds. But also, there are some challenges and it's not all about speed. Like we have seen there are express fast bowlers in the world, they're also struggling, leaking runs. So, in these kinds of conditions, it's not all about speed. You need some variation skills and a game awareness. So, it's not all about speed. You need a lot of skills to do well on this kind of surface.”

Despite the strong cultural ties with Kolkata, Bangladesh have played just one ODI in the historic ground in their history and that was back in 1990 against Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup. Taskin played in this ground for Bangladesh back in 2016 during the T20 World Cup. When asked whether he would love to play here Taskin answered in affirmative.

“We always love to play in India because of the crowd and facilities. But I played before in Eden in the 2016 in World Cup and hopefully, I'll play tomorrow again. But as a player, I would love to play more.”

Bangladesh are not only cornered in the tournament with many losses but they are rocked off the field as well. Shakib al Hasan once again made headlines by leaving the team and arriving Dhaka for one day to practise with his mentor Nazmul Abedin.

Taskin, however, said the issue did not affect the team and they rather appreciate the dedication of their skipper.

“No, actually it's not affected much. I think after he came back, we had a really good time, all of our teammates. But actually, he went for some improvements, you know, like he was not batted as well as he expected. But he went to do some specific practice to do well for our team, like we should appreciate that more, I think. Because he talked with our management, BCB - then he went, and also, we had a rest day that day. So, on official practice day, he's here. So, I think we should appreciate it more, and we don't have any problem, and we are not affected by any problems.”