Taskin Ahmed was among the Bangladeshi players selected for the IPL 2022 auction. Though, he was not put up for auction. The Delhi Capitals picked left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman for a base price of Rs 2 crore during the auction. The remainder of the players were not sold, including all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. IPL franchise, the Lucknow Super Giants could not overlook Taskin Ahmed's recent international performance. However, the right-handed pacer declined Lucknow's invitation to play for the national team. Take a look at Taskin Ahmed's recent international success, which attracted Lucknow to him.
Taskin Ahmed’s Recent Performance on the International Stage
Taskin Ahmed made headlines when he took five wickets in his ODI debut against India in 2014. This right-arm medium pacer was regarded as one of Bangladesh's most promising young pacers at the time. However, Taskin's ambition for cricket started to crumble due to a series of injuries since late 2017. He was not picked for the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup team. Taskin cried in front of the media after being left out of Bangladesh's World Cup squad.
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Taskin Ahmed did not give up despite many obstacles. Following his absence from the World Cup squad, he worked hard to regain physical fitness and to enhance his overall bowling variations. The promising bowler returned to the Bangladesh national side in the bilateral ODI series against the West Indies in 2021 and has since represented the country in all formats.
Taskin Ahmed has been one of Bangladesh's most successful bowlers since 2021 and he currently leads the pace attack. Bangladesh had a poor showing in the 2021 T20 World Cup, particularly in the Super 12 stage. However, Taskin was one of the few Bangladeshi players that performed well in the event. The cricket community particularly appreciated his bowling spell (2/18) against South Africa.
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Taskin Ahmed has played 34 matches across all formats since January 2021, taking 44 wickets at an average of 36.61. He has 16 Test wickets in 5 games, 17 ODI wickets in 15 games, and 11 T20I wickets in 14 games since 2021. When looking at Taskin's statistics from the last year, it's clear that his average is higher than expected, but his impact as a fast bowler at the start of the innings is significant.
Taskin Ahmed’s international bowling stats since January, 2021
|
Match |
Wickets |
BBI |
Ave |
Econ |
SR |
|
34 |
44 |
4/46 |
36.61 |
4.45 |
49.2 |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
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What made Lucknow Super Giants want Taskin to join the squad?
The English recruit from Lucknow, Mark Wood was forced to withdraw from the West Indies series and the IPL 2022 owing to an elbow injury. The Lucknow Super Giants want a young, prominent pacer to take his position. Taskin Ahmed of Bangladesh was their initial pick to replace Mark Wood. There are two main reasons for this: To begin with, Taskin's inclusion will widen the market. Due to Taskin's participation, Lucknow may draw a large number of Bangladesh supporters. Second, Taskin's development as a genuine fast bowler has been outstanding, and he may be a good option to have in the squad in sub-continent conditions.
According to sources, Lucknow's mentor, Gautam Gambhir approached BCB about his availability for the whole IPL15 season, and the franchise called Taskin to express their interest in him. However, after consulting Taskin, BCB's Cricket Operations Committee chairman Jalal Yunus confirmed that he will not play for the Lucknow Super Giants in the upcoming IPL 2022.
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Bottom Line
Taskin Ahmed was surprised to get a call from an Indian Premier League franchise inviting him to participate in IPL 2022. Though he will not be playing for the Lucknow Super Giants this season owing to national duty. However, Taskin Ahmed will be driven by this unexpected call to do even better in the future. It's also a recognition of his passion and hard work to cricket.