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‘Want to make my own identity’
PHOTO: BCB
Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has seen the ups and downs of career since making his international debut in 2014. From showing serious promise to falling out of favour in Bangladesh ranks and then rediscovering himself, the 26-year-old has become a vital component in the Tigers’ pace battery. The Daily Star’s Mazhar Uddin interviewed the evolving quick, where he gave insights on his game and his aspirations for the upcoming South Africa tour and more. The excerpts are below:
The Daily Star (DS): You’ve been in a good rhythm in the last few months and bowled in two ODIs against Afghanistan. What would you say about your recent form?
Taskin Ahmed (TA): Actually, it’s about following the basics to bowl properly. And I’ve been working on the technical issues for the last couple of years now. I’m just trying to maintain the process, the discipline and that’s about it.
DS: In terms of mental aspects, you seem to have more of a clear mindset than before while bowling.
TA: I try to keep things simple based on the situation of the game and team plan. Sometimes to charge the batters, I may give away a few runs, but I’ll try to bag a wicket or two. Also, at other times I may have to contain runs. Situation decides my role and I try to execute it.
DS: Stuart Law said a few days ago, the way he had seen you when he left, now you appear much stronger in terms of fitness. Do you think an improved fitness made you more comfortable while playing?
TA: During my career’s start, I had a little idea about maintaining discipline and fitness. As a fast bowler there are always some niggles in the body but maintaining fitness is a must. This is the most important thing for a sportsman. Apart from it, I work on developing my skills, to improve my swings, cutters and many more. Sujon [Khaled Mahmud] bhai helps me a lot, recently Mashrafe [Bin Mortaza] bhai demonstrated me the off-cutter. I’m still working on it. Ottis Gibson was very helpful. Now [Allan] Donald is coming very soon and I’m excited to work with him as well.
DS: How excited are you to work with Allan Donald? Are there any specific skills you want to learn from him initially?
TA: I’ve seen him bowling on Television, to be honest. He was called the ‘White Lightning’. I’m very excited and I’ll try to receive as much as possible from him to improve my bowling. Since he was a fast and aggressive bowler, it matches my type. I’ll definitely try to make my bowling better than before under him. There is always a new challenge every day.
DS: You are regular in all three formats of cricket right now. How do you adjust when shifting from one format to the other?
TA: Everyone knows that playing all three formats is difficult. However, the great international bowlers are making this difficult job look easy. It’s true that it’s difficult for me, but I also want to be a world-class bowler like them. I want to make my own identity from Bangladesh as well. There are issues like length adjustment, mental state. A bowler has to adjust on three things: mental, physical and tactical. I believe I still have a lot more to improve.
DS: A tough South Africa tour lies ahead of us. Our 2017 tour over there didn’t go that well. We’ve seen in New Zealand earlier this year where you bowled in a partnership. Do you have any specific plans regarding South Africa as well?
TA: It’s basically down to the assessment of wickets we will be playing on. The very basics is to bowl on proper line and length, to hit the right bouncer, and bowl according to the game situation. I remember playing in that condition in 2017, and I also got out of the team for two or three years after that tour. I had a tough time bowling there, but I’ll try to do better this time and contribute to a win.
DS: The bowling partnerships you guys make, the pace bowling unit looks very solid with you alongside Ebadot Hossain, Abu Jayed Rahi and Shoriful Islam. How do you guys complement each other?
TA: In the Test we won in New Zealand, all the bowlers bowled really well in both of the innings. Speaking of the bowling partnership, one bowler created pressure from his side, the other picked up wickets from the other side. We will try to do more of the same this time around as well. I have played 10 Test matches, but I’ll say that was my best test match overall in bowling, partnering and batting. There will be swings and variations, but more important is to execute the basic things properly and to stay fit.
DS: Obviously you bowl with the new ball, but in Tests, when the ball turns older, the reverse swing becomes an important aspect and it gets difficult for the batters. Do you have plans to work on the reverse swing in the SA series or in the future?
TA: With the blessings of Allah, I have been improving in the old ball as well. I can reverse swing when the ball turns old. But the fact is, I need to increase the percentage of effective reverse swings so that I can reverse the ball from the proper place while maintaining consistency.
DS: Any specific plans for the South Africa series?
TA: The same plan before every series. To follow the process, give my best, and rest will follow as the almighty wishes.