Taskin Ahmed wants to establish himself as a reliable tail-ender for Bangladesh and his ambition was justified as the pacer stood up when it was most required for the team and posted a record ninth-wicket stand with Mahmudullah. The duo with 191-runs partnership propelled Bangladesh out from a below par total in the first innings in the ongoing Test against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Thursday.
Going into the second day of the game with overnight score of 294 for eight, Mahmudullah and Taskin produced a brilliant feat against the odds and push the visitors’ score past 450-run mark. The Bangladesh innings ended with 468 runs as Mahmudullah along with Taskin pulled up a stand which landed as the second-highest partnership for the ninth wicket in the longest format of the game.
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The duo was just four runs short of a 23-year-old world record of 195 runs between South Africa's Mark Boucher and Pat Symcox that was established during a Test against Pakistan in 1998.
In Bangladesh’s perspective the partnership is the highest ninth-wicket stand in the format putting behind the previous best of 184 between Mahmudullah and Abul Hasan registered against West Indies in Khulna in 2012.
Batting at number 10, left-handed batsman Taskin inspired the team with a flamboyant 75 runs innings laced with 11 boundaries. The innings was perished when the Bangladesh cricketer missed the line of the ball and find his wickets dismantled against Milton Shumba.
With many other match-winning innings and partnerships the big attribute of @Mahmudullah30 is the ability of injecting believe to @BCBtigers tail-enders to induce seemingly impossible feat@ZimCricketv @Taskin_Official @DhakaTribune https://t.co/jdRCgODI5c
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) July 8, 2021
On the other end Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 150, which is nothing short of a statement to those who had put him out of the Test squad for about 17 months.
“I always had the ambition to be a good tail-ender. You will see most of the big Test teams have reliable batsmen at the end of the line. I want to establish myself as one. If there is a debacle at the top, I can come in support having to an establish batsman on the other end of the crease. There is no end to improvement. If I can work hard and better myself, I will come in help of the team,” said Taskin to the media following stumps on day two on Thursday, day two of the match.
“I try to spend some time with the bat in the nets alongside bowling. Today [Thursday] I had in mind that I need to do something for the team. Riyad bhai [Mahmudullah] was in the middle so my intention was to support him. He was continuously talking to me, advising me. My focus was to play the ball coming on the stump well and Riyad bhai was reminding me exactly that. I tried to put the ball away whenever it was in my zone. My effort was for the team,” said the right-arm Bangladesh pace.
@BCBtigers' @Mahmudullah30 struck his fifth Test hundred while No 10 batsman Taskin Ahmed hit his maiden fifty in the longer version as the Tigers strolled towards a sizable first innings total at lunch on day two of their lone Test against @ZimCricketv.https://t.co/0CmfeKI2KE
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) July 8, 2021
At stumps on day two, Zimbabwe trailed by 354 runs having posted 114 for one. Opener Takudzwanashe Kaitano on debut is unbeaten on 33 with skipper Brendan Taylor on 37. Taskin informed the wicket is good to bat on and the Bangladesh bowlers will have to maintain the focus and work hard to achieve good results.
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“The wicket is now easy to bat on. You will have to be patient with the ball. There is now way to bowl in the right areas and as per the field setup. Of course you have to attack them [Zimbabwe batsmen] but that should be as per the field setup because bad deliveries are getting hit very easily. You have to be patient and bowl consistent in the right areas,” said Taskin.
