Taskin Ahmed launches ballistic attack against his own Bangladesh Team on Sri Lankan soil

Bangladesh speedster Taskin Ahmed has showcased his frustration at the collapse suffered by the Bangladesh team against Sri Lanka during the first ODI at Colombo.

Bangladesh suffered a huge setback, losing the first ODI by a margin of 77 runs, as the pacer called this loss both "painful and unexpected." Chasing a modest target of just 245 runs at the Premadasa Stadium, Bangladesh suffered a setback, losing 7 wickets in no time.

“Unfortunately, we had a great start, but after that… tough loss for us. Seven wickets in five runs – it was unexpected. We tried, but it didn’t happen. Yeah, it wasn’t a great feeling," Taskin Ahmed commented after the end of the first ODI.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

"Those two wickets in one over were the turning point. The way we started today, I was expecting we would win with 5-6 overs in hand, but unfortunately, that collapse was a big loss," added the star pacer.

Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib restricted Sri Lanka below 250

The toss was won by Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka, who opted to bat first on their home ground. Pathum Nissanka, the centurion from the Test series, was dismissed for a duck.

While Taskin Ahmed, the lanky pacer, soon found himself among wickets as he dismissed the likes of opener Nishan Madushka and Kamindu Mendis. Mendis has been a standout batter for the test side, and his wicket was a big breakthrough for the visiting side.

However, despite the three early wickets in the powerplay, Sri Lanka were back in the game with Kusal Mendis and skipper Charith Asalanka building onto a firm partnership for the fourth wicket. Asalanka scored a huge hundred. The batter has often played such crucial roles ever since his appointment as the Sri Lankan captain.

With valuable contributions down the order, Sri Lanka could only score 244 runs as they were bowled out, with Taskin Ahmed being the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets.

Next, Tanzim Hasan Shakib also picked 3 wickets, which also included the vital wicket of centurion Charith Asalanka.

Taskin Ahmed gives his insight on the Colombo pitch

Bangladesh marked a humiliating collapse, as several wickets fell within a short interval; however, Jaker Ali batted quite well down the order, and so did the opener Tanzid Hasan.

“Look, Jaker batted really well at the end. With him, if we had two or three batters left, we could have won the match. Yes, we didn’t bat well, but seeing two or three guys bat on this wicket, it doesn’t feel like the wicket was that bad. That was our failure," said Taskin.

"Actually, we bowled pretty well, but still, it could have been better. But it’s okay," Taskin said while also clarifying that they should not have relaxed after their great start.

Bangladesh suffered a horrible collapse after a decent start

Bangladesh was the team that was in the driving seat, but the 18th over of the game marked Wanindu Hasaranga's first over with the ball.

After a fine start, Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto put on a 71-run partnership for the second wicket, until Milan Rathnayake's throw from deep square leg found Shanto short of his crease.

This dismissal for 23 runs of the former Bangladesh skipper marked the beginning of the collapse for the Bangladesh side. Litton Das, who was backed for ODIs, fell LBW in the very next delivery of Hasaranga.

The set opener, in an attempt to thump Hasaranga over mid-off, was dismissed in the same over as Liyanage pulled out an absolute stunner from thin air. Kamindu Mendis then bamboozled Towhid Hridoy with probably the best delivery of the collapse.

Within 5 runs, Bangladesh were 8 wickets down for 105 after having made a start of 100-1 in the 17 overs. Taskin Ahmed was the last wicket of this remarkable collapse, while Bangladesh's innings ended with 167 all out.

This is a record collapse as only the USA has had a disastrous collapse like this, when 7 wickets were lost for just 8 runs playing against Nepal in 2020.

ALSO READ: Vaibhav Suryavanshi rocks World Stage; falls inches short of Rishabh Pant's mammoth record