Pacer Taskin under consideration for WC team, says BCB chief

Right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed is at the centre of contention now to be selected for the Bangladesh World Cup squad, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said on Saturday, reports UNB.

Earlier, Taskin was overlooked when the BCB announced the team for the World Cup.

The pacer had been suffering from an ankle injury which he sustained during the last match of Sylhet Sixers in the last season of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city. But now, he has recovered from injury, and currently, he is part of Bangladesh team in Ireland tri-nation series.

"There was talk to include Taskin in the World Cup team before. But we didn't take any final decision regarding it," Nazmul Hassan said at a press briefing at Gulshan in the city.

"The basic thing is that we have four pacers in the World Cup squad --- Mashrafe (Bin Mortaza), Rubel (Hossain), Mustafizur (Rahman) and Abu Jayed (Rahi). All of them are same sort of bowler. Rubel is the only one who can bowl with a bit more pace. I think Rahi is not much superior among them. We can find a variation in just Taskin (Ahmed) because of his height and pace. The team management is thinking the pace will be more important on the soil of England and Wales," he said.

"However, including Taskin in the World Cup squad does not mean that he will also be incorporated in the playing XI. We have Mashrafe, Mustafiz and Saifuddin as the first-choice pacers. Rubel is the other pacer who was sidelined in the first match (in the tri-nation series against West Indies). Taskin was overlooked while announcing the team for the World Cup because he was injured. You may say he is fit now.