Taskin 'honoured' to play Test series in Australia, 14 years after first visit

Bangladesh played their only Test series in the country in 2003

Fourteen years ago, Taskin Ahmed got Travis Head out on his first visit to Australia.

Fourteen years later, he will get to open the bowling against him in a Test match in Darwin that has been 23 years in the making.

"We are really honoured to be here to be playing the Test series against Australia," Taskin said. "No doubt Australia is one of the biggest teams in the world and playing in Australia against Australia in Test cricket, it's a really proud moment for every one of our players. So, definitely that won't be an easy series for us, but still, we are hoping to do really well in the upcoming Australia series."

There was a childlike joy in Taskin's voice as he spoke of his love for Australia. He played an Under-19 World Cup in Australia in 2012, the ODI World Cup in 2015 and the T20 World Cup in 2022. But having made his international debut against Australia in a T20I in Mirpur 12 years ago, he has never faced them in an international on Australian soil.RelatedCan Weatherald's tinkerings stand the test in Darwin homecoming?

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He watched from home as an eight-year-old when Bangladesh played their only Test series in the country in 2003. Despite being only a handful of years younger than Australia's ageing bowling cartel, he has idolised them too from afar.

"From my childhood, I've been watching Australia team players, like great fast bowlers, legendary players," Taskin said. "Really now I have the opportunity to play against them. So I'm really excited.

"Australia is my favourite place to bowl. I have been watching all of them, Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, even Boland also doing well. If I have a chance to chat with them, definitely I will do."

Herein lies the problem for Bangladesh. The opportunities to play against Australia are so few and far between that they have to make them count beyond living out a boyhood dream.Alex Carey, Taskin Ahmed and Jake Weatherald on the beach ahead of the first Test•Getty Images

The shift in pitches at home has set them up for this moment. They rattled Australia with pace and bounce in Mirpur only two months ago and recorded a famous 2-1 ODI victory. But Starc, Hazlewood, and Cummins weren't there, nor was Head. That quintet was preparing for this series and the 12-month Test odyssey that is to follow.

Bangladesh had Nahid Rana, Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam in support of Taskin for that series and they bowled superbly, but none of that trio is available for Darwin, with Shoriful the only one a chance to play in Mackay.

But the conditions at home and beating Australia, albeit in a different format, does give Taskin confidence.

"That was a really great series for us, especially because normally, traditionally in Mirpur, it used to be a turning and slow wicket, but the last series was pretty sporting conditions," Taskin said. "We all played a good series and we won against Australia. That's giving us really good confidence to play against them. But still, home and away, there is a big difference."

That was highlighted against a Cricket Australia XI on Saturday in Darwin in a tour match.

Campbell Thompson, a 22-year-old South Australia seamer with three first-class wickets to his name, took 8 for 25 to scythe through Bangladesh's batters and raze them for 54 and hand an innings defeat. That came after another fringe first-class batter in Teague Wyllie made 130 against an attack led by Taskin.

"That wasn't a great feeling after losing against Cricket Australia, that practice game," Taskin said. "But in cricket that happens. We are also still trying to adjust to the conditions and pitches quickly. That was a good preparation, but we lost, though, but still we are hoping to do well in the main match."

For what it's worth, Head did not read too much into the result, wary of putting stock in a tour match where minds would have been elsewhere.

"I've played in some pretty poor ones over the years as well, and they're always a challenge because you've got your mind probably elsewhere," Head said. "That's no disrespect to the CA team, but there'll be guys in that Bangladesh team that are only purely worrying about Thursday and what they need to get out of it. So I think they played well in the first innings, made 270-odd.

"So yeah, they'd be disappointed in that and what the outcome looks like externally. But I think internally they'd just be worried about Thursday."