Taskin Ahmed, a veteran fast bowler for the Bangladesh cricket team, missed the T20 World Cup 2024 match against India reportedly due to oversleeping. According to a report, Taskin was unable to be contacted by the team management because he was asleep in his room and as a result, he missed the team bus before the game. A team official had to stay back at the hotel to try and contact Taskin, who later joined the squad at the venue. Taskin apologized to his teammates for missing the bus and the coach decided not to play him in the match against India.
This decision not to include Taskin in the playing XI was surprising to fans and experts, as Bangladesh only went with Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman as their fast bowlers for the game. Despite Taskin’s late arrival, the reasons for not playing him were left to the coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, to explain. The official clarified that if there were any issues between the coach and the player, it did not affect Taskin playing in the next game against Afghanistan. Taskin apologized to his teammates for his tardiness, and the matter was handled without making a big issue out of it.
While the Bangladesh head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, has remained silent on the incident, India went on to win the match against Bangladesh by 50 runs. The Indian batsmen put up a strong performance, with Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Shivam Dube contributing runs to secure a vital victory in the T20 World Cup 2024.