Taskin Ahmed Refutes Late Arrival As Reason For T20 World Cup Exclusion Against India

Bangladesh vice captain Taskin Ahmed faced accusations of arriving late for the T20 World Cup 2024 match against India. However, the pacer denied these claims, stating he wasn't scheduled to play due to team combination reasons and was only a few minutes late.

Taskin reportedly missed the team bus for the crucial Super Eights clash at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua on June 22. Allegedly, he overslept and arrived late, leading to his exclusion from the game.

Veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan commented on Taskin's late arrival, saying it made it "difficult" for him to be selected. "The bus usually leaves at a certain time. It is the rule that the team bus doesn't wait for anyone," Shakib told reporters on Tuesday (July 2).

"If by chance someone misses the bus, they can arrive in the managers' car or a taxi. 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," he added.

"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 8.35 AM," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Taskin as saying to Dhaka-based newspaper Ajker Patrika.

"I left for the ground at 8.43 AM. 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," he added.

BCB President's Remarks

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan also addressed the incident. "When I saw that Taskin wasn't in the XI, I called (team manager) Rabeed (Imam), who told me that Taskin missed the team bus," Hassan said.

"But (Rabeed said that) he is now in the field, he arrived a bit late. "I will read the report from the concerned department."

Impact on Team Performance

The Tigers made just one change from their previous game with Jaker Ali replacing Taskin and eventually lost by 50 runs against India, denting their semi-final hopes.

After missing out on India match, Taskin returned to play against Afghanistan on June 24. Unfortunately, Bangladesh suffered another loss in this low-scoring game and ended their Super Eights campaign without a win.

Although Taskin apologised for his actions, Shakib mentioned that everyone took it very normally and considered it an unintentional mistake. According to reports, no fine was imposed on Taskin for this incident.