Bangladesh allegedly dropped vice-captain Taskin Ahmed from the crucial Super Eights clash against India at the T20 World Cup as he overslept and missed the team bus, a claim the pacer refuted, stating it was for team combination reasons. Bangladesh lost the game, held on June 22 in North Sound, Antigua by 50 runs with the Tigers making only one change, replacing Taskin with Jaker Ali. “I was a little late, but I reached at the ground before the toss,”

ESPN Cricinfo quoted Taskin as saying to 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 8.35am. “I left for the ground at 8.43am. I almost reached the ground with the bus. It is not as if they didn’t pick me because I arrived late. I wasn’t going to play anyway,” he added.

Taskin made his way back into the playing XI for Bangladesh’s next game, against Afghanistan on June 24.

Although Taskin apologised for his actions, veteran all-rounder and former captain Shakib Al Hasan said the pacer’s late arrival made it “difficult” for him to be selected.

“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 apologised to the team, and everyone took it very normally. It was an unintentional mistake. It ended there.” According to the report, there was no fine levied on Taskin for the incident.

When questioned about the incident, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan, said, “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.”

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