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‘Results aren’t in my hands, but hard work is’

Whether it was due to an undisciplined lifestyle or injuries, Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed had lost track and was getting frustrated despite entering the international arena with huge potential. At one point, the tall pacer started to lose self-belief, but he managed to make a comeback in the tour of New Zealand. The 26-year-old managed to hog the limelight despite the Tigers losing both of the Tests in Sri Lanka and he spoke about his downfall and comeback in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Ekush Tapadar. The excerpts of the interview are given below:
The Daily Star (TDS): We have witnessed a huge change in you since the lockdown last year. How did you manage to do that? What are the areas you worked on?
Taskin Ahmed (TA): I was not in a good condition when the lockdown started. A lack of form and injury left me mentally disturbed. Then I made up my mind to make a comeback. During the pandemic, I spoke to Dr Debashish Chowdhury and told him that if I was unable to improve my fitness, then my condition would get even worse. I want to come back strong. Despite training being stopped at that time, Debashish Bhai gave me time and I started training with him. At the start, I had some doubts and I went through depression after feeling that I may not able to do it. Then I took help from one of my elder brothers (Khalid), who is a psychologist, and I started working on both the body and mind.
TDS: Did the doubts arise due to your previous lifestyle?
TA: It was a combination of everything that dragged me down. Obviously, my lifestyle was related to some injuries as well but those are fine now by the grace of Almighty. Now I believe a lot on the process and feel that if my process is right then everything will be better. Performance may not be in my hands, but I should give my best to work honestly.
TDS: You bowled longer spells in Sri Lanka with good pace. Did you just work on your fitness or were there also some technical changes to your bowling?
TA: Actually, it is a mixture of both fitness and mindset. If both your body and mind are not at the top level, then it’s difficult to generate pace. Suppose I am trying to bowl faster with my willpower, but my body is not supporting. It won’t work. It is because of the two aspects I think things improved a lot from the past.
TDS: Ottis Gibson told me that you have worked with your run-up…
TA: Yes, I worked on it in New Zealand and I have been working a lot with him and I can see the improvements. Ottis has helped me a lot and all the pacers of the national team are enjoying working with him.
TDS: You have also developed your swing…
TA: It is because of the improvement of my seam position and it will improve more. To be honest, I won’t say I have done exceptionally well in the Sri Lanka series. It’s not like that. Yes, there are some positives but I still believe my best is yet to come and I hope to become better.
TDS: Do you think the team should have more belief in pacers?
TA: It’s not that everything is done by looking at one series (Sri Lanka tour). I may have done well but I want the pitches in our domestic circuit to be sporting. If the first-class pitches and condition are sporting, it helps fast bowlers to get better.
TDS: There have been so many dropped catches of your bowling. Do you feel bad?
TA: I never show my reaction as it’s a team game and I need to keep that in mind so that the morale of the team doesn’t go down. Sometimes it feels bad.
TDS: At times do you feel why always me?
TA: I don’t want to regret it as dropped catches are also part of cricket. One day you might see I am getting the most wickets in a game and the fielders have caught the most number off catches of my bowling.
TDS: You have already spent five years in international cricket. Have you set any goal on where you want to see yourself when you finish your career?
TA: I can’t say about any specific goal but I aim big. I want to become a world-class bowler. My dream is big and I want to win a lot of matches for Bangladesh but it’s not that I want to take 200 or 300 wickets.
TDS: Your plan for the upcoming Sri Lanka series?
TA: Obviously I want to do well. I want to do better than what I did in the previous Test series and don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Soumya Sarkar is all smiles during a training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. The preliminary squad will train till today, after which they will get a seven-day break for the Eid festival. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury informed the reporters yesterday that the players, who were part of the last Sri Lanka tour and are also part of the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, will be joining the practice soon after already having returned negative in their Covid test. Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman are quarantined at different city hotels after returning home from India but the quarantine period for the two cricketers has not been decided yet.
PHOTO: BCB