Talha backs Taskin to come good in Tests
Talha expressed that Taskin has been asking him for advice from time to time and he is now in a better position to understand himself and what works for him to succeed.
Former Bangladesh national team fast bowler Talha Jubaer has backed Taskin Ahmed to come good in the upcoming one-off Test match against Zimbabwe.
After multiple injury lay-offs, Talha is of the notion that his recent performances in the domestic circuit – the National Cricket League (NCL) and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) – will pay dividends in the international arena as well.
"It's a big opportunity for him to come back. He's been out of the team for a while because of injury, unfortunately. But he has been bowling well recently and doing well recently in the NCL and the BPL," Talha told The Business Standard.
Talha expressed that Taskin has been asking him for advice from time to time and he is now in a better position to understand himself and what works for him to succeed.
"He speaks regularly with me and sends me his videos. He's now mature enough to understand his strengths and weaknesses," Talha added.
The former right-arm fast-bowler also spoke about the mindset Taskin had in the past and how he has adjusted his game to perform well in Test cricket.
"When you're younger it's always about bowling fast. But now what he wants is do bowl well in the longer format and he wants to adjust his length accordingly and bowl well. So let's hope for the best," Talha concluded.
Taskin Ahmed made his debut against India in 2014 and took a five-wicket haul and many expected him to become a world-class fast-bowler.
But injuries have halted his progress and he last played an international match – a T20I – two years ago in 2018 against Sri Lanka.
His last Test and ODI cap for the Tigers came in 2017 and since then, even though he has been selected in the squad, has not been able to break into the first XI of the team.
Taskin's recent performance in the Bangladesh Cricket League, however, has been impressive where he's picked up ten wickets in two games including a best of 5-54 in the second-round match for North Zone against Central Zone at Sylhet.
His selection in the XI for the Test match against Zimbabwe which starts from 22 February also remains under doubt as Mirpur generally produces spinning tracks and Bangladesh might opt with three spinners and two pacers.
Pacers like Abu Jayed Rahi and Ebadot Hossain and most recently Rubel Hossain, have been performing well in recent times and they might get the nod ahead of Taskin here as well.
Add to that, his average of 97.42 after playing in five Tests where he has managed just five scalps does not bode well for the 24-year-old.