Taskin clarifies bus incident ahead of T20 World Cup game against India, says 'I was little late'

New Delhi, July 2: Bangladesh's vice-captain, Taskin Ahmed, has addressed the speculation surrounding his absence from the team for their Super Eight match against India in the T20 World Cup 2024. Taskin admitted to missing the team bus on the morning of the match in North Sound but clarified that this was not the reason for his exclusion from the game.

"I was a little late, but I reached the ground before the toss," Taskin told Dhaka-based newspaper Ajker Patrika. "I arrived at the ground around 30-40 minutes before the toss. I missed the team bus. The bus left the hotel at 8:35 am. I left for the ground at 8:43 am. I almost reached the ground with the bus. It is not as if they didn't pick me up because I arrived late. I wasn't going to play anyway."

Bangladesh opted to replace Taskin with Jaker Ali for the game, with Mahedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan opening the bowling. However, Taskin returned to the lineup for Bangladesh's subsequent game against Afghanistan on June 24.

Taskin explained that there was no disciplinary action taken against him for the incident, and team captain Shakib Al Hasan confirmed that the matter was resolved after Taskin apologised.

"The bus usually leaves at a certain time. It is the rule that the team bus doesn't wait for anyone," Shakib told reporters on Tuesday. "If by chance someone misses the bus, they can arrive in the managers' car or a taxi. West Indies is a difficult place for transport. He arrived 5-10 minutes before the toss, so naturally, it was difficult for the team management to select him. It was also a difficult situation for the player. Taskin apologized to the team, and everyone took it very normally. It was an unintentional mistake. It ended there."

BCB president Nazmul Hassan also addressed the incident during a press conference following a board meeting on Tuesday.

"When I saw that Taskin wasn't in the XI, I called [team manager] Rabeed [Imam], who told me that Taskin missed the team bus," Hassan said. "But [Rabeed said that] he is now in the field; he arrived a bit late. I will read the report from the concerned department."

Taskin's absence did not affect the team's decision-making process, and he was included in the following match, showing that the incident did not have long-term repercussions on his standing within the team.