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'Thinking about the test while eating and sleeping' - Taskin

Taskin Ahmed's test date for his reworked action has been set for September 8 at ICC's accredited centre in Brisbane

Mohammad Isam
Mohammad Isam
21-Aug-2016
Taskin is happy with his progress since being banned for a suspect action during the 2016 World T20  •  Bangladesh Team Management

Taskin is happy with his progress since being banned for a suspect action during the 2016 World T20  •  Bangladesh Team Management

Taskin Ahmed, the Bangladesh fast bowler, was bubbling with "nervous excitement" and wanted to get rid of the word "banned" in front of his name after the date for a reassessment of his bowling action was announced on Saturday.
Taskin is set to be tested at ICC's accredited centre in Brisbane on September 8. He is likely to be joined by left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
"This is a burden for me," Taskin said. "Just like anyone else, I would also like to return to international cricket quickly. If the word 'banned' is removed from my life, it would be like every day is Eid."
Taskin worked on remodeling his action, first with former Bangladesh bowling coach Heath Steak and later with his coach Mahbub Ali Zaki between April and June, during Abahani's Dhaka Premier League campaign. He said he was happy with the progress he had made since being reported for a suspect action during the 2016 World Twenty20 in March-April this year.
"I'm thinking about the test while eating and sleeping," Taskin said. "I feel the same way as one would while hearing the date of the school final exams. You keep preparing, but when you hear the date, you get a little nervous. But I'm happy that a date has been fixed. I am preparing both mentally and physically through my skills."
The 21-year old, who has been tested at the indoor and outdoor facility in front of cameras and experts, credited Zaki, the coaching staff of the national team and his senior team-mates for giving him moral support.
Taskin was told at the time of his ban that there was an issue with his slower bouncer. Since then, all his variations have been tested and corrected under the supervision of BCB's bowling action review committee, which was formed to test bowlers in domestic cricket this season. A mock test was also scheduled for Taskin as part of his programme.
"Experts at home are satisfied with my bowling action," he said. "I am also satisfied. But since it is a test, even one problem found in a delivery can be a major issue. I am training hard and the rest is up to God."

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84