CRICKET POLL

Bangladesh's pace spearhead Taskin Ahmed praised newly appointed fast bowling coach Shaun Tait and opined that the Australian's addition will help the team immensely due to his exposure to modern-day T20 cricket. The next ICC event on the roster is the World Cup in the shortest format and that is why Taskin is keen on this aspect.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board recently hired Tait after deciding not to continue with his predecessor, Andre Adams. Taskin, currently recovering from an Achilles injury and going through a rehabilitation program, is hopeful of a strong stint under Tait. The Aussie has over 200 wickets in T20 cricket with a good spread of experience across the globe in varied conditions.

"Hopefully, many good things are ahead," Taskin told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

"He was a very good fast bowler and played a lot for Australia. The best part is, we have a lot of T20 cricket this year and he played T20s in the modern era and has experience in major T20 events," he said.

"He must have some good insights into the game. Hopefully, his experience will help us," he said.

"Actually, when you're in the national set-up, a coach can help with game awareness and some technical aspects, but bowlers mostly have to coach themselves," he said.

"However, when you have a big personality like Tait around, things become easier and hopefully his inclusion will benefit us," he explained.

Taskin recently travelled to England to have his physical fitness assessed and his rehab process validated. The 30-year-old expects to return to competitive cricket in the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

"It's just part of the rehabilitation process,-that's what's going on right now. Our cricket board's physio and trainer, along with a specialist from the UK, have come together to set up a rehab plan," said Taskin.

"So far, five sessions have been completed. I've also started light bowling. It's difficult to set a specific date for my comeback. Right now, we're targeting the Sri Lanka series in June and if everything goes well," he said.

"So far there is no complaint and if things continue like this, I'm hopeful of making a comeback in that series," he added.