Taskin, Mushfiqur to leave for Zim-Afro T10 League tonight

Pacer Taskin Ahmed and wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim will fly for Zimbabwe to take part in the Zim-Afro T10 League tonight.

Taskin, who will feature for Bulawayo Braves, picked up two wickets against Afghanistan in the second T20I on Sunday as Bangladesh won the series 2-0.

In order to board the flight in Dhaka, Taskin and Bangladesh team's Test and T20 skipper Shakib Al Hasan took a lift on Afghanistan star Rashid Khan's chartered flight in Sylhet right after the second match on Sunday night. Rashid was supposed to fly for the United States to take part in the Major League Cricket (MLC), with his side, MI New York, sending the chartered flight to fly the cricketer to USA.

Mushfiqur, on the other hand, was directly signed by Joburg Buffaloes. Taskin and Mushfiqur are the only two cricketers from Bangladesh to play in the league.

This will be Taskin's maiden overseas franchise cricket league appearance and the pacer is looking forward to making it a memorable one.

"I am excited to take part in my first overseas franchise league. I did get the opportunity to play in leagues around the world but somehow those didn't materialise," Taskin told the Daily Star after the second match.

The 28-year-old has been in fine rhythm in recent times across all formats and he is looking to continue the momentum to utilise the opportunity.

"I am following my process and giving my best all the time. I have been working on my swing and also developed the knuckle delivery, which I bowled in the second T20I. T10 is a fast-paced game where every over is counted as death over, so I will keep that in mind and bowl accordingly," added Taskin.

The inaugural edition of the Zim Afro T10 League will feature five teams –Harare Hurricanes, Joburg Buffaloes, Durban Qalandars, Bulawayo Braves, and Cape Town Samp Army.

The tournament will commence on July 20, with the final scheduled for July 29. All the games will be played in Harare.