Taskin Ahmed's Absence from Crucial T20 World Cup Match Sparks Controversy

Vice-captain Taskin Ahmed was allegedly dropped from Bangladesh's key Super Eights match against India at the T20 World Cup because he overslept and missed the team bus. Taskin refuted this claim, stating that his exclusion was due to team combination reasons. The game, held on June 22 in North Sound, Antigua, saw Bangladesh lose by 50 runs with Taskin replaced by Jaker Ali as the only change.

Taskin told Dhaka-based newspaper Ajker Patrika, "I was slightly late but reached the ground before the toss." He explained that he arrived about 30-40 minutes before the toss, having missed the team bus that left at 8:35 am, and departed for the ground at 8:43 am, almost catching up with the bus. He insisted his late arrival was not the reason for his non-selection, as he was not going to play anyway.

Taskin returned to the playing XI for Bangladesh's next game against Afghanistan on June 24.

Though Taskin apologised for his tardiness, veteran all-rounder and former captain Shakib Al Hasan mentioned that his late arrival made it "difficult" to select him. Shakib explained to reporters that the team bus leaves at a fixed time and does not wait for anyone. If someone misses the bus, they can arrive by the manager’s car or a taxi, but Taskin's arrival 5-10 minutes before the toss made his selection challenging for the team management. Shakib added that Taskin's apology was accepted by the team, and it was seen as an unintentional mistake, ending the matter.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan, when asked about the incident, said he called the team manager Rabeed Imam after noticing Taskin was not in the XI. Rabeed confirmed that Taskin missed the team bus but had arrived at the field a bit late. Hassan stated that he would review the report from the concerned department.