Taskin Ahmed

Fizz shows venom with the new ball

Mustafizur Rahman pointed to the sky knowingly, a smile spread across his face. The delivery to Rahmat Shah, only his second of the first ODI against Afghanistan, got him a wicket. But it was the satisfaction in execution of his plan that brought assuredness for Bangladesh’s ‘cuttermaster’, who managed his first four-for in ODIs yesterday in over a year’s time.

Khaled replaces Taskin for second South Africa Test

Bangladesh pacer Khaled Ahmed replaced Taskin Ahmed in the 15-member squad for the second Test against South Africa, scheduled to start on October 29, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

Taskin hopes for better wickets back home

Talking about some of the extraordinary shots that India batters seem to conjure, Taskin felt that wickets back home do not allow batters to play such shots.

‘I’m not worried about losing my place’

Bangladesh’s all-format pacer Shoriful Islam witnessed a few ups and downs this year due to injuries. The 23-year-old pacer hurt his finger during a warm-up match before the ICC T20 World Cup. Although he had recovered and was available for selection from the second match, he ended up warming the benches for the whole tournament. After average stints in LPL and GT20 Canada following the World Cup, Shoriful was brilliant in the opening Test against Pakistan but missed the second one due to a groin injury. The left-arm pacer wasn’t picked for the India Tests to heal up completely for the three-match T20I series against the same team. Before leaving for India with the rest of the T20 squad, Shoriful spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan about his topsy-turvy year. Here are the...

India in complete command of first Test after Day 2

The Tigers started the second day with authority, bundling India out for 376, but the batting did not complement.

‘Easy for local coaches to identify shortcomings’

Nahid Rana stunned the cricketing world with his raw pace during Bangladesh’s historic 2-0 Test series triumph over hosts Pakistan, clocking over 150 kmph while also claiming his career-best figures in the second Test. Even though Bangladesh cricket has been reaping the benefits of forming a potent pace group across formats in recent years, the factors behind the emergence of talented quicks have not been focused on a large scale. The Test series triumph against Pakistan in Rawalpindi would not have materialised if pacers like Hasan Mahmud, Nahid, Shoriful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed had not outshone the quicks of Pakistan -- a country historically known as the ‘land of pacers’. What comes as a hopeful sign for fans and a sweet headache for the team management is that these four...

‘Coaches should not compromise with raw pace’

Nahid Rana stunned the cricketing world with his raw pace during Bangladesh’s historic 2-0 Test series triumph over hosts Pakistan, clocking over 150 kmph while also claiming his career-best figures in the second Test. Even though Bangladesh cricket has been reaping the benefits of forming a potent pace group across formats in recent years, the factors behind the emergence of talented quicks have not been focused on a large scale. The Test series triumph against Pakistan in Rawalpindi would not have materialised if pacers like Hasan Mahmud, Nahid, Shoriful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed had not outshone the quicks of Pakistan -- a country historically known as the ‘land of pacers’. What comes as a hopeful sign for fans and a sweet headache for the team management is that these four...

A surreal series victory

It still feels surreal that Bangladesh have won their first-ever Test series against Pakistan 2-0 and that too on Pakistan soil.

Allan Donald Interview / ‘I take my hat off to the pacers’

South African fast bowling legend Allan Donald has been heavily credited for his role in Bangladesh’s pace revolution during his tenure as the team’s pace bowling coach from March 2022 to November 2023. The 57-year-old, who resigned after the ICC World Cup in India, is still a big supporter of the Tigers and keeps in touch with the Bangladesh pacers. On Monday, Donald spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan over the phone from Johannesburg, where he expressed immense pleasure at seeing his former pupils doing so well in Pakistan. Here are the excerpts:

October 9, 2023
October 9, 2023

Focused Tigers keep their feet grounded

There was no official training session for Bangladesh on Sunday, a day after their comprehensive six-wicket win over Afghanistan in their World Cup 2023 opener. Only five members of the Tigers' squad worked out in the gym of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala yesterday.

October 5, 2023
October 5, 2023

Tigers spoilt for choice over pacers  

From a team that only ever tried to ‘spin to win’, Bangladesh have now evolved into a pace-centric attack heading into the ICC World Cup in India.

October 4, 2023
October 4, 2023

The rise of the South Asian pace attack

When last the ODI World Cup was played in South Asia, in 2011, five of the top seven wicket-takers in that tournament were spin bowlers. In the recent Asia Cup, however, in which more matches were played in Colombo (a notoriously spin-friendly venue) than any other venue, five of the top seven wicket-takers were seam bowlers.

September 24, 2023
September 24, 2023

Liton, Tamim to be rested for third ODI against NZ

Captain Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal has asked for rest in the third and final ODI against New Zealand, confirmed selector Habibul Bashar on Sunday.

August 30, 2023
August 30, 2023

Taskin one of ICC’s six players set to dazzle at Asia Cup 2023

From the remaining five players from respective participants, one more pacer made the cut: pacer Jasprit Bumrah of India. Here is the full list of players to watch:

August 27, 2023
August 27, 2023

Taskin believes Bangladesh can win the Asia Cup

Pacer Taskin Ahmed said that if Bangladesh are able to play their best cricket, it won’t be impossible for them to clinch the Asia Cup.

August 8, 2023
August 8, 2023

Franchise leagues helping Taskin and Co face ‘different pressure’

Taskin Ahmed's short stint in the Zim Afro T10 league was tremendous -- the pacer ended up among the highest wicket-takers with 11 scalps from seven games maintaining a very impressive economy rate.

July 30, 2023
July 30, 2023

Taskin makes a happy return

The right-arm pacer expressed satisfaction over his performance and the overall experience despite his team having failed to qualify for final.

July 26, 2023
July 26, 2023

Taskin to be denied NOC for LPL: BCB source

Bangladesh’s strike pacer Taskin Ahmed will not be getting a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL) due to workload management concerns.

July 24, 2023
July 24, 2023

Taskin keen on LPL stint

The LPL is set to get underway from July 30 and slated to be played till August 20. Bangladesh national team will, however, hold a training camp ahead of the Asia Cup from July 31.