No Taskin In South Africa Clash

Bangladesh seamer Taskin Ahmed will not be available in the ODI World Cup tie against South Africa due to a shoulder strain, skipper Shakib Al Hasan has confirmed.

The team management was unwilling to “rush things” with the 28-year old speedstar, who also missed Bangladesh’s clash against India, Shakib said in a press briefing in Mumbai on Monday (October 23).

Taskin’s shoulder discomfort is an old woe for Bangladesh, but the team management had initially shrugged off the issue ahead of the Proteas clash set for Tuesday.

But after the paceman refrained from bowling in the nets on Sunday, the fear of him potentially missing out on the next match arose again and a day before the game, Shakib confirmed that he would be benched again.

“He [Taskin] won’t be playing in tomorrow’s game. We are hoping he will be in a condition to play after tomorrow’s game. There’s some discomfort in his shoulder. He’s been struggling for two matches. So the physio decided to rest him for two games and make him available for the last four matches,” Shakib said.

“Taskin is a crucial member of the team. So we don’t want to lose him before the tournament ends. We don’t have an alternative to replace him either.”

In the match against India, Hasan Mahmud was picked in the place of Taskin who picked up two wickets at 6.3 runs per over in the first three games against Afghanistan, England and New Zealand.

Shakib, who missed the game against India due to an injury, himself is recovering from a left quad injury which he picked up against New Zealand. Although he did not clarify whether he was 100 percent fit, he said he will play against South Africa.