Taskin ready to shoulder pace burden in Australia

Taskin Ahmed will be carrying the mantle as Bangladesh’s pace spearhead when they face Australia in the first Test in Darwin on Thursday, and the right-hander is relishing the challenge of leading a bowling attack eager to make the tour memorable.

While pace and bounce were all the rage in the build-up to the much-anticipated series, expectations have now come down on that front, with reports suggesting that the conditions for the first Test in Darwin will be more similar to Bangladesh’s, with warm and dry weather on offer.

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“First for me, first time in Darwin here. Pretty nice weather, pretty warm and nice, similar to Bangladesh,” Taskin told the media during a unique media event also featuring Australia’s Alex Carey and Jake Weatherwald.

“I've been [to] Australia before a few times, but first time in Darwin, and also for the first time in a Test series. So, I'm really enjoying it and looking forward to it,” the 31-year-old added.  

With Nahid Rana ruled out of the series and Shoriful Islam unavailable for the first Test, the burden on Taskin will be far greater. But the ace pacer comes with the ammunition required for the job. Injuries have kept him out of Tests over the last three years, and he has featured in only six Tests during this period. Yet, 25 of his 55 career wickets have come in this time.

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Rana and Hasan Mahmud, with 38 and 36 wickets respectively, have taken more wickets than Taskin in the period, but they have played 12 and 14 Tests respectively compared to his six. Taskin also boasts an average of 23.52, far superior to Rana’s 36.84 and Hasan’s 33.13. His strike-rate of 40.3 is also significantly better than the other two regular pacers in the Tigers’ red-ball unit (48.2 and 55.7).

Asked if more responsibility would fall on him, Taskin said, “Yes, it is. You know, really, we're going to miss them, especially Nahid Rana who is a big threat nowadays in world cricket. Unfortunately, he got injured. But still, like me, some of the other bowlers have a little bit of experience as well. Let's see how they do. And it's a great opportunity for the bowlers playing in Australia.”

For Taskin, the series is a rare opportunity to be part of Bangladesh’s return to Australia for a Test series since 2003.

“Australia is my favourite place to bowl. I have been watching all of them -- [Mitchell] Starc, [Josh] Hazlewood, [Pat] Cummins and even [Scot] Boland, who is doing well. If I have a chance to chat with them, I'll definitely do it.

“I'm really lucky to play a Test series here after 23 years. So, let's see if we can make this memorable or not.”

The responsibility is significant, but Taskin is drawing confidence from the Tigers’ recent 2-1 ODI series victory over Australia at home. He added that the team were looking to adapt to conditions despite the disappointing defeat in the warm-up match.

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Head refuses to read too much into Bangladesh's warm-up woes

There was some good news back home as left-arm quick Shoriful passed the fitness test yesterday, raising hopes of his availability for the second Test in Mackay. Until then, Bangladesh will have to rely on Taskin to set the tone with the new ball in the series opener.