Bangladesh fast bowler has declined to join Lanka Premier League for the preparations ahead of the two Test series with Australia.
Bangladesh pace bowler Taskin Ahmed has decided to prioritize international cricket over franchise competitions, stepping down from the 2026 Lanka Premier League (LPL) to focus on his country’s preparations for the upcoming Test tour of Australia.
The fast bowler was to play for Jaffna Kings in the LPL but felt that he needed to prepare for the tough Test task in Australia for Bangladesh.
Taskin prioritizes Test preparations
Taskin said he had made the decision after weighing up the tough international agenda for Bangladesh and significance of the Australia series.
The right-arm pacer said that he had come back from a hectic tour of Zimbabwe and if he had played the LPL, he would have had little time to get ready for Test cricket in Australian conditions.
He said that he had missed a chance of playing in a tournament but it was more important to play for Bangladesh in a rare Test series in Australia.
Change of plans after Zimbabwe series
Taskin had been issued with a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to play in the Lanka Premier League and was supposed to skip the T20I series against Zimbabwe.
But his plans were to change when his teammate Mustafizur Rahman was injured and Taskin was left with the national team for the Zimbabwe series.
After finishing that tour, he re-evaluated his calendar and decided to drop out of LPL altogether.
Bangladesh monitor pace attack fitness
Injury worries in the fast-bowling unit have also hampered Bangladesh’s preparations for the Australia tour.
Team management will await the outcome of medical scans for young pacer Nahid Rana, who suffered a side strain in the T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam is still recovering from a hamstring injury and is hopeful that he will be fit to play in the first Test if he recovers as expected.
Important World Test Championship series
Bangladesh will be in Australia next month for a two-match Test series in August, the first Test tour to the country since 2003.
The games are part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series and will feature in Darwin from August 13-17 and Mackay from August 22-26.
The series is a huge opportunity for Bangladesh to boost their ranking in the World Test Championship and to test themselves against one of the world’s top Test teams in tough conditions overseas.
Full focus on national duty
Taskin’s decision to pull out of the Lanka Premier League has further solidified his dedication to Bangladesh’s red-ball aspirations.
The veteran fast bowler will now focus on training and conditioning for Bangladesh’s best possible side to face one of its toughest overseas Test duties in recent years.
