Unwise to blame coaches: Taskin
Taskin Ahmed is among the select group of bowlers Courtney Walsh has worked with extensively since being appointed as Bangladesh's bowling coach. The well-built pacer caught the eyes of the legendary fast bowler with attributes of a perfect seamer, but the 22-year-old has not quite been able to live up to expectations and has failed to make the most of the vast experience offered by Walsh.
Since Walsh took charge of the Tigers' pacers in September 2016, Taskin's bowling has dipped in all three formats compared to his breakout performances.
The speedster made his Test debut under Walsh last year and has scalped seven wickets in five Tests at an average of 97.42. His best bowling performance in an innings came against India at Hyderabad last year as he scalped two wickets for 43.
Taskin's ODI record under Walsh has fared better compared to his run in the longest version of the game. He has taken 24 wickets in 17 games, albeit at an economy of over six runs. In that time, the right-armer has also claimed just one wicket in four T20Is while leaking 11 runs an over.
Walsh has come under increasing pressure following the Bangladesh pacers' listless performances in South Africa last September and in the recently-concluded home series against Sri Lanka, but Taskin believes that the bowlers should shoulder the brunt of the blame instead of the coach.
"It is not wise to unnecessarily blame the coaches. They give us the right plan and right advice and the team plan is also okay. If there was anything that was missing, it was the lacking of the bowlers and we will have to sort that out by doing extra work," the pacer told reporters in Mirpur yesterday during a special training for fast bowlers under Walsh.
According to the seamer, who has been dropped from all formats of the game since the South Africa debacle, it was his inconsistency and failure to execute that has been the biggest problem.
"What I have learned over the past four years with the national team is that execution is most important. If I can't execute, no plan will work. The bowlers who are in the camp are giving priority to variations like slower and length balls, yorkers and wide yorker," he said.
There was also speculation about whether cricketers tend to be shy in approaching Walsh due to the language barrier, but Taskin dismissed that notion, saying: "No, it's not. I can understand what he says and I think many other players also understand him. For those who don't understand, the senior players translate. It's not a big issue for me. The main thing is execution."
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