Taskin Ahmed laments costly partnership after defeat against Zimbabwe
Taskin Ahmed says a massive 150-run partnership between Craig Ervine and Brendon Taylor cost Bangladesh dearly in their tri-nation series opener in Abu Dhabi.
Bangladesh suffered a disappointing start to the tri-nation series in Abu Dhabi, sliding to a 99-run defeat against Zimbabwe at the Zayed Cricket Stadium. Despite reducing the opposition to 24 for 3 early on, the Tigers failed to sustain the pressure as the African side bounced back strongly.
Pacer Taskin Ahmed struck early blows by removing the first three Zimbabwean batsmen within the initial 24 runs. However, a resilient 150-run stand off 176 balls between 41-year-old Craig Ervine and 40-year-old Brendon Taylor completely shifted the momentum of the innings.
Ervine scored 93 runs off 106 deliveries, while Taylor contributed 81 runs from 101 balls to anchor the rescue effort. Their massive partnership propelled Zimbabwe to a competitive total of 271 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs.
Reflecting on the match during the post-match press conference, a disappointed Taskin opened up about the significance of the breakthrough and the subsequent collapse in bowling plans. “Actually, when you lose a match, that is the most unfortunate thing for a player or a team. Meaning no matter how many three wickets or five wickets I get, if the team doesn't win, it's never of any use,” he said.
Highlighting the nature of the pitch, Taskin noted that while the initial bowling spell was brilliant, the surface offered plenty of assistance for batting once batters got settled. “The start was very great. It is also true that the pitch is quite good for batting. But the big partnership they had in the middle, that is actually a lot. After the early breakthrough, having a slightly long partnership in the middle put them quite ahead. After breaking the partnership, I felt it would be possible to restrict them to a good score. But unfortunately, we couldn't win later,” the pacer added.
Addressing questions regarding a missing bowler in the Bangladesh lineup, Taskin pointed to unfortunate circumstances and squad depth. “That is one reason. Look at how unfortunate it is, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has a fever, he didn't play. He is one of our best players in ODIs. But the others who played, they are also capable enough. Today it just didn't work out. You saw this pitch a few days ago, the Test match with Afghanistan was also drawn, the game went on for a very long time until the fifth day,” he explained.
Taskin further emphasized how Zimbabwe capitalized on the batting-friendly conditions and handled the disciplined bowling spells. “This pitch is actually meant for runs, a partnership could be made whenever desired. They showed that too. They handled our good balls very wonderfully. Because after such a start, they handled it brilliantly. From there, they made a partnership of more than 100 runs. Zimbabwe actually showed that no matter the pressure on a good pitch, making a partnership makes it possible for any team to get a good score,” he concluded.
Looking ahead, Bangladesh will return to action at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday evening to face Afghanistan in their next fixture of the tri-nation series.