Taskin Ahmed, the star pacer for Durbar Rajshahi, has been delivering outstanding performances in the ongoing BPL season. From the start, the experienced pacer has been consistently excelling with the ball. Taskin, who has now achieved the milestone of taking 20 wickets in a single BPL season for the second time in his career, stands on the brink of breaking records.
Despite his team suffering a heavy defeat against Chittagong Kings on Monday (January 20), Taskin managed to pick up two crucial wickets with his effective bowling. He became the first bowler of the season to reach 20 wickets, with no other bowler even close to his tally.
Taskin is now the third bowler in BPL history to claim 20 wickets in multiple seasons. Previously, Shakib Al Hasan (2017 and 2019) and Rubel Hossain (2019 and 2019-20) achieved this feat. Taskin had taken 22 wickets in the 2019 season while playing for Sylhet Sixers. Although he equaled Shakib in this achievement, Shakib still holds the record for the most wickets in a single BPL season. He took 23 wickets in 15 matches in 2019.
This season, Taskin has reached the 20-wicket mark in just 9 matches. Rajshahi still has three more matches left in the group stage, and if he remains injury-free, Taskin is expected to play all of them. Considering his current form, it would be surprising if he does not surpass Shakib’s record. Rajshahi also remains in contention for a playoff spot, giving Taskin more opportunities to set a new record or further enhance his tally.
Taskin began his BPL campaign this year with a three-wicket haul against Fortune Barishal in the opening match. In the next game, he stunned the cricketing world with a phenomenal performance, taking 7 wickets for just 19 runs, setting multiple records. He then took two wickets each in five of the following seven matches. Even in the two matches where he failed to claim a wicket, his bowling remained economical.
Despite the run-fest nature of this season, Taskin has maintained an impressive economy rate of just 6.60 runs per over. Most of his overs have been bowled during the powerplay and death overs. The record for the most wickets by a pacer in a single BPL season stands at 22, a feat Taskin himself achieved in 2019. Five other pacers have also reached this milestone.
In the 2015 season, Kevon Cooper delivered a remarkable performance, taking 22 wickets in just 9 matches. However, his career ended prematurely at the age of 29 after his bowling action was deemed illegal. In 2019, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Rubel Hossain both took 22 wickets. Last season, Shariful Islam also claimed 22 wickets.
Taskin could have already broken the record if he had received more support from his teammates. The pattern of dropped catches off his bowling, often seen during his international career, has continued with the Rajshahi team. Several catches have been dropped off his bowling, including two in Monday’s match against Chittagong.
Even so, Taskin remains well-positioned to break the record. Rajshahi’s bowling attack lacks any other sharp bowler apart from him. No other bowler in the team has taken more than 5 wickets throughout the tournament. As a result, opposition teams have been playing cautiously against Taskin while targeting other bowlers. Yet, Taskin has consistently found ways to take wickets.
Rajshahi’s next match is scheduled for Thursday against the table-topper Rangpur Riders.
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