- 'The ICC still has the opportunity to prove me wrong. The World Cup is still ongoing, let's see if they can suspect two bowlers of any team and suspend them. Let them set an example, then I will have nothing to say on Taskin issue.'
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan slammed the International Cricket Council over the suspension of fast bowler Taskin Ahmed, saying it is 'sheer injustice' to ban a key player in the middle of an important tournament like the World Twenty20.
"I think the ICC should rethink its decision against Taskin. This is sheer injustice. If there is any setback in Bangladesh cricket, this is it. Bangladesh cricket has been finished," Nazmul told reporters in Kolkata, on Saturday.
"Taskin was a major bowler for the team. He is not only the fastest among the Bangladesh bowlers but also one of the fastest in the whole World T20. He has been playing regularly for Bangladesh for the last two years now. It is hard to accept his suspension," he added.
He said Taskin not bowling an illegal delivery during a match and still getting suspended is something that has happened first time in the history of cricket.
"All my life I knew that a bowler gets suspended if he bowls an illegal delivery in a particular game. But Taskin got suspended despite not having bowled any illegal delivery in that game (against the Netherlands). This has happened for the first time in history.
"The match referee (Andy Pycroft) had said all of his deliveries in that game were suspicious but during the test, none of the deliveries were found illegal. So, this is a new learning curve for us in that a bowler can get suspended in this way. This is something new to us," he said.
Nazmul believes these are propagandas against the progress of Bangladesh cricket.
"Everyone knows about it (propagandas against Bangladesh). Let them do all these things to Bangladesh if it makes them happy. We will have to keep on playing under these difficult situations. We have nothing much to say," the BCB chief said.
Nazmul said anyone who thought his claims about Taskin are incorrect should come forward and challenge him.
"If anyone thinks that I am wrong, they should come and prove me wrong. The ICC still has the opportunity to prove me wrong. The World Cup is still ongoing, let's see if they can suspect two bowlers of any team and suspend them. Let them set an example, then I will have nothing to say on Taskin issue. I cannot accept a suspension that has come for no reason and against a key bowler of a team," he said.
Image: Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed.
Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
