Birthday special: Taskin Ahmed – Bangladesh pacer who is taking giant strides
Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed Tazin has become a regular feature in the national squad since making his debut in January 2017. The 26-year-old was born on April 3,1995 at Dhaka in Bangladesh and holds the record of bowling the fastest delivery (148kmph) by a Bangladeshi cricketer in an international match.
Taskin grabbed the limelight when he was called in as a replacement for Mashrafe Mortaza against Australia. The pacer did not miss the opportunity and dismissed star batter, Glenn Maxwell, with a fine delivery. He was then picked by Chittagong Vikings for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) where he showcased his excellent bowling skills and went on to become one of the most important bowlers for his team over the years.
The 26-year-old made his T20I debut against Australia on April 1 2014, that too at his home ground Dhaka. Taskin took the wicket of star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. However, the Aussies won that match by seven wickets. Just two months after, Taskin was called-up for making his ODI debut against India.
The right-arm pacer impressed everyone with his performance on his ODI debut, scalping five wickets and giving away only 28 runs in eight overs. Although India won the match by 47 runs, Taskin was praised for his brilliant performance in his first match.
Three years after making his debut in limited-over formats, Taskin was called up for the red-ball format. He made his Test debut against New Zealand on January 12, 2017, in Wellington. However, he could not perform well in that match, taking only one wicket as the home side won the contest by seven wickets.
Taskin was the hero for his side in a limited-overs series against South Africa. The visitors won the 50-over series by a margin of 2-1 with Taskin named player of the match in the final ODI and player of the series for excellent performance throughout the series. In not a very long span, Taskin has already proven his mettle by taking massive strides at the international level.
