Injuries, controversies, and setbacks — experienced fast bowler Taskin Ahmed wants to take all these lessons from his struggles and move forward with renewed determination.
Taskin was speaking about cricket, his performances, and life on and off the field. But when the conversation touched on matters beyond cricket, the experienced pacer turned almost philosophical, sharing deep reflections about life and the strength it takes to overcome challenges.
For Taskin, battling injuries is nothing new. Even before breaking into international cricket, he had already fought his way back from a dangerous stress fracture. In his 11-year international career, he has spent nearly as much time recovering off the field as he has playing on it. This year too, injuries kept him away from the national team for a long spell.
The road back from injury is never easy. Rehabilitation is exhausting and repetitive, testing both physical endurance and mental strength. Taskin had to endure yet another such phase recently. In the middle of it all, he was also dragged into an off-field controversy when a childhood friend filed an assault complaint against him — though the matter was eventually resolved privately.
Everything seemed to be going wrong for him. But once again, it is cricket that is helping him reclaim his best form. In the first ODI against the Netherlands, Taskin picked up four wickets and earned the Man of the Match award, marking a strong return.
After the match in Sylhet, Taskin shared his mindset and his resolve to embrace challenges head-on:
“Cricket or life, every moment comes with both good and bad. There’s always something to learn from tough times. It’s not just me or my cricketing career — it’s the same for everyone. If I try to avoid the moments that test me, they’ll only haunt me later. I want to face them and figure out how to move forward every time. Good or bad, if I keep going with honesty and determination, I believe everything will eventually fall into place.”
Taskin’s bowling in the match showed clear signs of improvement. After returning from injury, he had played two ODIs in Sri Lanka last month, where he took six wickets but struggled to find his rhythm. He looked heavier, and even in a T20I later on, he appeared off-balance.
Back home, he played two T20Is against Pakistan, taking six wickets across the series, but his best form still seemed distant. His fitness issues were visible.
Over the past three weeks, though, Taskin has worked relentlessly on his fitness and rhythm through intense training sessions. His performance against the Dutch reflected those efforts — a glimpse of the old Taskin returning.
The pacer himself is optimistic but knows there’s still work to do:
“After coming back from injury, I started with the Sri Lanka series. The rhythm was a bit… difficult to find. But I’m improving. Over the past few weeks, I’ve worked very hard in training and overall fitness. Slowly, the rhythm is coming back. There’s still a long way to go, but I’m hopeful it will get better. I’m just sticking to the process so that I can keep improving.”
