Taskin Ahmed, the Bangladesh pacer, said on Sunday he will not be available for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand as he is still recovering from a shoulder injury. Taskin said he will begin rehabilitation shortly and is hopeful of being fit ahead of the three T20Is that Bangladesh will play when they tour New Zealand later in December.
This means Taskin will also miss the ODI leg of Bangladesh's tour of New Zealand which begins on December 17, a week after the second Test ends.
Taskin had a tear to his shoulder during the World Cup, forcing him to miss a couple of matches. "I was playing with a tear in my shoulder and I couldn't find my best rhythm (in the World Cup)," said Taskin. "I will not be playing the Test series against New Zealand at home in the coming winter as I want to do start rehabilitation after taking some rest and hoping to be available for the T20Is against New Zealand that is scheduled after our home series against them," he said that suggest he would not be available for the three-match ODI series through which the series will get underway.
Apart from Taskin, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan will miss also the Test series against New Zealand due to fractured finger while Tamim Iqbal's availability is still in doubt. It is still unclear is he has recovered from a back injury and he also did not participate in the National Cricket League.
The Bangladesh team returned home from Pune on Sunday after their World Cup campaign where they finished with only two wins out of nine matches. Taskin felt that the disturbance caused by the differences between Shakib and Tamim leading into the World Cup was not good for the team.
"As a player, we didn't have any control over it (Shakib's problem with Tamim). Definitely, no disturbance is good for the team. It is better not to have any disturbances," said Taskin.
Meanwhile, Taskin said the team will miss the services of fast bowling coach Allan Donald who stepped down from his position after the World Cup. "He (Donald) took care of our fast bowling exceptionally well. He always backed us regardless of our performance. He motivated us a lot. I enjoyed working with him. He is leaving us, but that's life. Every coach has a two or four-year span. I wish him for his future," he said.