Taskin Ahmed is a Bangladeshi cricketer who plays as a right-arm fast bowler and a left-handed batsman. He represents Dhaka Metropolis in domestic cricket and the Rangpur Rangers in the Bangladesh Premier League. He is the first Bangladeshi cricketer to take five wickets on ODI debut.
Taskin Ahmed was born on 3 April 1995 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His father, Abdur Rashid, is a businessman and his mother, Sabina Yasmin, is a homemaker. He has a sister named Roja. He was passionate about cricket since his childhood but his father wanted him to focus on academics. He studied at King Khaled Institute, Stamford College and American International University of Bangladesh.
Taskin Ahmed is unmarried and has not revealed any details about his affairs or girlfriends. He follows Islam and his hobbies include listening to music, swimming, playing pool and horse riding. His favourite quote is "To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are."
Taskin Ahmed started playing cricket at Abahani playground in 2007. He played for the Bangladesh under-15 and under-17 teams before making his first-class debut for Dhaka Metropolis in 2011. He was the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in the 2012 ICC Under-19 World Cup with 11 wickets. He also impressed in the Bangladesh Premier League for Chittagong Kings and Chittagong Vikings, taking four wickets in a semi-final match against Duronto Rajshahi in 2013.
Taskin Ahmed made his T20I debut on 1 April 2014 against Australia and took the wicket of Glenn Maxwell. He made his ODI debut on 17 June 2014 against India and took five wickets, becoming the first Bangladeshi to do so on ODI debut. He was nominated for the Cricinfo Awards for the best performance of 2014. He made his Test debut on 12 January 2017 against New Zealand in Wellington.
Taskin Ahmed has played 59 ODIs for Bangladesh till date, taking 81 wickets at an average of 30.37. His best bowling figures are 5/28 against India in 2014. He has also scored 142 runs at an average of 7.47 with a highest score of 14. He was part of the Bangladesh team that reached the final of the Asia Cup in 2016 and the semi-final of the Champions Trophy in 2017.
Taskin Ahmed has played 54 T20Is for Bangladesh till date, taking 52 wickets at an average of 27.15. His best bowling figures are 4/16 against Sri Lanka in 2021. He has also scored 115 runs at an average of 8.84 with a highest score of 15 not out. He was part of the Bangladesh team that won the T20I series against Australia and New Zealand in 2021.
Taskin Ahmed has played 13 Tests for Bangladesh till date, taking 30 wickets at an average of 55.92. His best bowling figures are 4/82 against Zimbabwe in 2021. He has also scored 219 runs at an average of 12.16 with a highest score of 75 against Sri Lanka in 2021.
Taskin Ahmed has not captained Bangladesh in any format of the game. He has, however, led Dhaka Metropolis in domestic cricket and Rangpur Rangers in the BPL.
Taskin Ahmed was suspended from international cricket for his illegal bowling action during the ICC World T20 2016. He underwent a biomechanical test and was cleared to bowl again in September 2016. He was also fined 15 percent of his match fee for using obscene language during an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2017.