Taskin seeks review

A day after Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon revealed that the BCB was not happy with the ICC's decision to ban Taskin Ahmed from bowling in international cricket, the pacer, according to the BCB, asked for a review.

According to the ICC's regulations for the review of bowlers reported with illegal bowling actions, a bowler is allowed to ask for a review if he contends that the ICC has not followed its own procedures.

Taskin's issue was the talk of the town yesterday and to a certain extent even received more attention than Bangladesh's game against Australia.

BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury confirmed that Taskin had asked for a review.

“Taskin has asked for a review. The player submitted the petition today. The BCB, meanwhile, is trying to expedite the process. We are hopeful of the hearing of the review being held very soon,” Chowdhury told The Daily Star yesterday, adding that the board are in constant discussions with the ICC on the issue.

According to Chowdhury, there is not a fixed timeframe by which time the review process will start. According to the regulations, the process should begin 'within a reasonable time'.

If the review is unsuccessful, the ICC's original decision will stand and Taskin will have to work on his action and go through the test again. While the BCB is trying its level best, not many in the board are confident of a positive outcome.

The decision to deem Taskin's bowling action as illegal received wide-scale criticism across the country.

People from all walks took to the streets yesterday and protested the ICC's decision. Several of them carried placards and demanded justice for Taskin. Thousands of people gathered at Shahbagh yesterday afternoon and made themselves heard.

“One can understand the decision regarding Arafat Sunny, but we demand that Taskin be allowed to play in the World Cup immediately,” said Ashfaque Chowdhury, a student of AIUB, who was present at Shahbagh.

Former cricketers Ian Chappell and Shoaib Akhtar also supported Taskin and raised their views online. Akhtar described Taskin's exclusion as a potential loss for world cricket, while Chappell criticised the ICC's decision to ban players midway through the ICC World Twenty20.

On Sunday, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza said that his team was very upset with the decision against Taskin and pointed out some of the problems that the team management had with the ICC's report on the bowler. According to the report, Taskin was reported for his bouncers.