World Cup 2023
Taskin: Nothing for bowlers' at World Cup batting paradise
|| CF DESK ||
Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed lamented the lack of opportunities for bowlers in the batting-friendly pitches of the ongoing World Cup.
The 28-year-old is set to return for Saturday's clash against the Netherlands after being rested to nurse a shoulder niggle.
"There's nothing much for the bowlers. It's kind of batting friendly, all the grounds,” said Taskin who has taken only two wickets in three matches at a cost of 126 runs.
"But also there are some challenges and it's not all about speed. Like we have seen there are express fast bowlers in the world, they're also struggling, leaking runs,” he added.
"You need some variation skills and a game awareness. You need a lot of skills to do well on this kind of surface."
Bangladesh are eighth in the 10-team World Cup table while the Netherlands are at the bottom. Both have just two points. But Taskin believes his team can still make it to the semi-final.
"It's not finished yet, we still have four more games to go. If we can win those four, anything can happen because there are some run-rate issues."
Both Bangladesh and the Dutch have just one win each against four losses and another defeat at Eden Gardens will almost certainly signal the end of their slim semi-final hopes.
After facing the Netherlands, Bangladesh will meet Pakistan (October 30 in Kolkata), Sri Lanka (New Delhi on November 6) and Australia (Pune on November 11).