Bangladesh’s star pacer Taskin Ahmed finally displayed his best form in the IL T20 after four matches, even though his team once again ended up on the losing side.
Sharjah Warriors were bowled out for under 100 due to a poor batting performance. With such a low total, the bowlers had little to defend. Still, Taskin stood out with an excellent spell, picking up two crucial wickets and giving his team something to fight for.
It was the first time in four IL T20 appearances that Taskin truly looked like his old self. Despite his efforts, the Warriors lost to Desert Vipers by four wickets at Dubai International Stadium on Saturday. Chasing just 90, the Vipers reached the target with 37 balls to spare.
Taskin made an immediate impact, conceding only six runs and taking two wickets in his first two overs. He finished with figures of 2 for 20 from four overs.
The tournament had started on a tough note for him. In the opening match, he went wicketless, conceding 39 runs in four overs. He picked up one wicket for 34 runs in the next game, and in the third match, he took three wickets but gave away 40 runs. This time, however, everything came together perfectly.
The pitch offered assistance to bowlers, with the ball gripping and coming onto the bat slowly, making stroke play difficult.
Introduced in the second over, Taskin dismissed Fakhar Zaman with a skied shot caught at mid-on. Hasan Nawaz struggled as well, scoring just a single off the over. In his next over, Max Holden took a single, while Nawaz edged the third delivery to the wicketkeeper, giving Taskin figures of 1.3–0–2–2.
Sam Curran hit a boundary later in the over, totaling five runs, and Taskin conceded eight runs in his third over. His final over, in the 10th, went for just six singles.
Although the Warriors’ bowlers applied some pressure collectively, they couldn’t turn the match around. The batting let them down, with Tom Abell unbeaten on 35 off 36 balls and only Ethan D’Souza reaching double figures with 18. Taskin scored 2 runs from 4 balls at the end, finishing as the team’s most successful bowler.
Sharjah Warriors now sit at the bottom of the six-team table with four points from seven matches, while Desert Vipers comfortably lead with 14 points from seven wins in eight matches.
