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Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has revealed that he wasn't going to play in the T20 World Cup 2024 match against India in Antigua, regardless of him missing the team bus.
A BCB official claimed on Tuesday that the 29-year-old apologized to his teammates for missing the team bus ahead of the big game against India. Bangladesh ended up going with only two fast bowlers in the match and losing by 50 runs.
Speaking to the newspaper Ajker Patrika, Taskin remembered leaving for the ground moments after the bus departed and it hardly made a difference in the team strategy.
"I was a little late, but I reached at the ground before the toss. I arrived at the ground around 30-40 minutes before the toss. I missed the team bus. The bus left the hotel at 8.35am. I left for the ground at 8.43am. I almost reached the ground with the bus. It is not as if they didn't pick me because I arrived late. I wasn't going to play anyway."
Taskin had a decent World Cup, finishing eight wickets in six matches at 17.12 alongside an economy rate of 6.42.
"He arrived 5-10 minutes before the toss" - Shakib Al Hasan on Taskin Ahmed
Meanwhile, Shakib Al Hasan spoke to reporters on Tuesday, explaining his side of the story. The former skipper elaborated that the pacer arrived only 5-10 minutes before the toss and that it's not possible to select someone in that short a timeframe. As quoted by ESPNcricinfo, he stated:
"The bus usually leaves at a certain time. It is the rule that the team bus doesn't wait for anyone. West Indies is a difficult place for transport. He arrived 5-10 minutes before the toss, so naturally it was difficult for the team management to select him. It was also a difficult situation for the player. Taskin apologised to the team, and everyone took it very normally. It was an unintentional mistake. It ended there."
Bangladesh lost all their three Super 8 matches and could not progress to the knockout stage of the tournament.
