Right-arm national team pacer, Taskin Ahmed, has won the prestigious Sheikh Kamal National Sports Award 2023. Along with him, a total of 10 sportsmen and organizations received this award this year from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Taskin recently participated in the Zim Afro T10 event in Zimbabwe, where he performed exceptionally well.
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He was also invited by a team in the Lankan Premier League (LPL), but the board did not allow him to play, considering his workload for the coming months.
"It's a great honor to win this award," Taskin said. "This is my maiden national award, and it's particularly special to receive it from the hands of the Prime Minister—it's a moment of pride for me."
Taskin mentioned having a brief conversation with the Prime Minister during the award ceremony.
"She wished us good luck in the Asia Cup and the World Cup," Taskin said.
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Although Taskin was denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the LPL, several other Bangladeshi cricketers, including Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, and Shoriful Islam, are participating in the league.
"If you perform well in any event, it boosts your confidence," Taskin said. "T10 is a tough format, so having a good memory of this league will help me perform better in other formats in the future."
The right-arm pacer is delighted that many of his teammates are now playing in foreign leagues, and he believes it's a positive sign for the cricketers of Bangladesh.