'I don't understand why Taskin was benched'

In a crucial Super Eight match against India, Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to field. He believed a score of 150-160 would be good on this wicket. However, the Indian batters posted a formidable total of 196. Replacing pacer Taskin Ahmed with Zakir Ali proved to be a costly decision as Zakir failed miserably, leading to Bangladesh's 50-run defeat. Former captain Mashrafe Mortaza questioned the decision to bench the team's best pacer, Taskin, while expressing his hopes for Rishad Hossain but lamenting the team's batting performance.

In Antigua, after winning the toss against Rohit Sharma, Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto stated that a score of 150-160 would be good on this pitch. However, India scored 196 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs, with the last five overs alone producing 62 runs, thanks to Hardik Pandya's unbeaten 50 off 27 balls. Chasing the steep target, Bangladesh faced their familiar batting collapse and managed only 146 runs, losing the match by 50 runs.

Former captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza wrote on his Facebook account after the defeat:

"From watching the South Africa and America games, it was clear this wicket was different from other grounds and there would be runs. In the first match, we benched Zakir and played Mehedi because both openers were left-handed. The team hasn't been scoring well, so playing an off-spinner instead of an extra batsman seemed like a brave decision. Today, Mehedi played again and bowled well, but I don't understand why Taskin was benched. As far as I know, since the 2022 World Cup, Taskin has taken wickets in every match except the one against Australia, and his economy rate has been below seven in the last two years. So, it's clear we played this match without our best bowler and genuine wicket-taking option. Tanzim Sakib and Rishad have been outstanding, consistently giving their best since the World Cup started. I'm really hopeful about Rishad because our cricket really needed a leg-spinner.

For Bangladesh to do well, we must improve our batting; there is no alternative. We can't always expect slow wickets, especially in such tournaments. On good batting wickets, runs will be scored, and if we can't score, we can't expect results with just bowling. One more match is left, and I hope we finish well, Inshallah. Best wishes to the Bangladesh team."