My name will always be there in BPL history: Taskin
Experienced pacer Taskin Ahmed on Thursday said that he was proud of the fact that his name would always be there in the Bangladesh Premier League's (BPL) history after he bagged a record-breaking seven-wicket haul during Durbar Rajshahi's second match of the ongoing BPL against Dhaka Capitals in Mirpur today.
Taskin, understandably overjoyed at his success, said he never thought getting a seven-wicket haul was out of his reach.
"I have thought so [of taking seven wickets]. If I didn't think, it would not have happened. When I will leave the game, my name will still appear as a Bangladeshi player in the BPL history. So, it's definitely a proud moment for me," Taskin told reporters in Mirpur after Rajshahi clinched their first win in the tournament by beating Dhaka by seven wickets.
On Thursday, for the second successive game, the 29-year-old pacer led the Rajshahi attack from the front, and this time, he achieved something that is rarely seen in T20 cricket.
Taskin's bowling figures of 7-19 in his allotted four overs is the best ever in the tournament's history, surpassing Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir's previous record of 6-17 in 2020.
It is also the best bowling performance by a Bangladeshi bowler in T20s as he eclipsed Shakib Al Hasan's 6-6 for Barbados Tridents against Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in a Caribbean Premier League match in 2013.
Overall, it was the only third occasion that a bowler got seven wickets in an ICC-recognised T20 match, matching the records of Malaysia's Syazrul Idrus (7-8) and Colin Ackermann (7-18).
Taskin also claimed that luck is also needed to get a fifer in any format of the game.
"It's very special to get a fifer in any format. I have got three and four-wicket hauls, but you need luck to claim five. It's a big achievement for me," Taskin added.
Taskin, who was the joint third-highest wicket-taker across all formats in international cricket last year along with Caribbean pacer Alzarri Joseph (63 wickets), has carried his form into the BPL.
In the opening game of the tournament, Taskin finished with figures of 3-31 against reigning champions Fortune Barishal on Monday but due to the lack of support from the other hand, his side failed to defend 197 runs.
When asked why Taskin did not go for the eighth wicket today, the right-arm quick said he did not want to be greedy and hurt his team's chances in the process.
"I didn't want to be greedy. If I went for it, it could have been a half volley. I was clear about what to do in different situations. It feels good to be living up to the expectations of the skipper as whenever he brought me in, I was able to provide breakthroughs," Taskin said.
Comments