Ambrose’s sage advice for Taskin

Taskin Ahmed's transformation to a complete fast bowler has been a highlight for Bangladesh cricket in recent times and the pacer has continued to impress in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League as the sole light for a Dhaka Dominators side that has lost three of their four matches.

Dhaka fell to a five-wicket defeat against Sylhet Strikers after managing to post a paltry 129 runs yesterday, but Taskin showed his class with the ball in the low-scoring game even as his team fell short yet again.

The 27-year-old bowled his heart out and was also a little unfortunate, but he ended up conceding just 12 runs from his four overs while scalping the big wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim with a brilliant yorker.

After the game, Taskin was speaking to West Indies legend Sir Curtly Ambrose, who is engaged in the commentary panel of the BPL. The conversation proved productive, with Ambrose sharing his wealth of knowledge and giving Taskin pointers on how to develop as a pacer in all three formats.

"It's always difficult for fast bowlers to maintain their workload, especially with so much cricket being played these days. It is important to know limitations and work on strengths instead of trying to do too much in a short time. It is important how you cope with the different formats. But the most important is the mindset you adopt before you go out on the field," Ambrose told Taskin.

"You have to adapt to the surface. Sometimes, there is not enough pace or bounce on the surface. That's when you realise how important it is to work on your line and length."

Taskin has had to contend with multiple injuries since the early stages of his career and often remained sidelined. So, the keen enquirer wanted to learn how to cope with those injury-related issues which have hampered his rhythm over the years, derailing him sometimes even when in peak form.

"It is important for a fast bowler to be fit and you need to be disciplined to stay fit. It is also important how you manage your workload. As a fast bowler, it is very important you get enough rest and recovery before and after every game. T20 cricket can take a toll on pacers since it is a fast-paced game. So make sure you don't take it too hard on yourself," the legendary fast bowler advised.

Although Taskin's efforts were in vain, Ambrose had some encouraging words to cheer up the seamer.

"Remember, when things aren't going your way, remain positive and aggressive and always keep your head high. If you remember, during my playing days my aggression made me the cause of batters' headaches. As a fast bowler, it is important you remain aggressive and hungry all the time," Ambrose added.