InMobi

Tigers quicks can tame Aussies: Taskin

Bangladeshi paceman believes young attack can prosper in home conditions, tips return to form of Mustafizur

Bangladesh's Taskin Ahmed has backed fellow paceman Mustafizur Rahman to cast his indifferent patch of form aside for the first Test against Australia in Dhaka, beginning Sunday.

Mustafizur, who has established himself as one of the world's best young limited-overs quicks over the past couple of years, took just one wicket in four ODIs during the Champions Trophy in June, though his 4-23 against Ireland in the lead-up was a fine example of his talents with the white ball.

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The 21-year-old left-armer has only played four Tests since his debut in 2015, taking 12 wickets at an average of 23.

"We always expect a lot from Mustafizur," said Taskin. "And he fulfils the expectations. Maybe he didn't do all that well in the recent matches, however it happens to the best of pacemen in world cricket; they also struggle in one or two matches.

"We are not thinking about this. I hope he makes a comeback."

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Taskin, 22, stressed that the onus would not solely be on Mustafizur, with he and Shafiul Islam also potentially set to shoulder the wicket-taking burden among the quicks.

"Besides Mustafizur, (Shafiul and I) also have responsibility to do something good against Australia," he said.

"They are one of the world’s best teams. But we know the (home) wickets better than them. We are familiar with everything.

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"If I get an opportunity, I will like to bowl a match-winning spell.

"I don't say that match-winning spell means taking five to seven wickets. I will like to bowl some good overs instead of that. As like, our spinners may take seven wickets and in the middle, I may pick two wickets. I really want to do something … that will help the team."

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The inexperienced Taskin conceded he had found the going hard to date in his brief Test career, following a debut against New Zealand in Wellington just five months ago.

"Having played four Tests, I think this format is hard," he said. "Previously I only played ODIs and T20Is.

"In the longer version, you have to play according to plan. Change of pace is required. In Tests, you have to take each session as it comes. In ODIs and T20Is, one or two good spells are enough to end the game. But in Tests, you have to bowl seven or eight spells.

"It is not that easy. I really enjoyed bowling in New Zealand, not so much in Sri Lanka. And I haven’t played a single Test at home. I think I need to have patience. I hope I’ll do something good going forward."

Australia in Bangladesh 2017

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.

Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mominul Haque.


27-31 August First Test, Dhaka


4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong