Taskin putting all his apples in World Cup basket

Taskin Ahmed's euphoria of getting back into the national team setup was short lived. In the space of a week he had been called up for the New Zealand ODI and Test series and then suffered another disheartening injury which not only put him out of contention for the New Zealand tour but jeorpardised his chances of being included in the lineup for the World Cup in England.

Having scalped 22 wickets for Sylhet Sixers to reach the summit of the top wicket-takers' list of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a lateral ligament injury ruined his return. Taskin now faces the unenviable task of having to impress the selectors – with the squad for the World Cup to be named ahead of the series in Ireland -- by playing in the national Dhaka Premier League (DPL) competition, that too without fully recuperating from an injury which might put his career in threat.

Taskin's name was listed in the players' draft and he was likely to be available from April 1 as per the remark made in the draft list. The cricketer was upbeat about returning to action soon while talking to reporters before a light training session today.

"By the grace of the almighty, I am doing well. I will take part in my second running session today [following the injury]. Hopefully it will go well. If things go smoothly, I will be able to start bowling soon. Running intensity is increasing and I am pain free so far. Every player has a plan for rehabilitation and the physios' team and my team have the plan to start playing from the Super League [of the ongoing DPL]. I am trying to finish my rehabilitation properly."

Taskin's urgency of returning to the field was however understood when he talked about putting all his apples in the World Cup basket. The cricketer was adamant that he will put emphasis on playing the World Cup instead of ensuring he does not fall into a long-term injury lay-off.

"Truth be told, I am prioritising the World Cup. That is the dream. I don't know what will happen when I wake up from sleep tomorrow. Not thinking of the long-term repercussions. Mani priority is to get hundred percent fit and make the World Cup squad. The reason is that I played the 2015 World Cup and the peace of playing a World Cup is different. Even now, reminiscing the World Cup brings good feelings. I am asking for prayers from everyone so that I can regain fitness. Cannot explain in words what it would feel like if I make the team.

Taskin will have to possibly play the Ireland series in order to have a realistic chance of making the team. "I can't control whether I will be playing in the team but I certainly have control over how much hard work I put in. I believe that if I work well then the performances will come," the pacer concluded.