Taskin apologised to teammates after missing team bus before India game, says Shakib

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed's exclusion from Bangladesh's XI for their Super Eight match against India raised a lot of eyebrows. It wasn't clear why Taskin wasn't picked but on Monday, a TV channel published a report claiming the quick overslept and missed the team bus taking the players to the ground and that was the reason behind his exclusion. 

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan on Tuesday confirmed that it was indeed true and it was difficult for the team management to pick Taskin for the match as he arrived quite late in the ground.

"The team bus leaves at a certain time. It's a rule for us players [to be on time]. Naturally the bus doesn't wait for anyone. If someone misses the bus, he has to take a car or the team manager's car or a taxi. In the Caribbean, the transport system is not easy," Shakib told reporters before leaving for the USA to play for Major League Cricket for the LA Knight Riders. 

"Taskin reached the ground five-ten minutes before the toss. So it was a tough call for the management, tough for the player as well. Taskin apologised to the whole team. Everyone makes mistakes. It was unintentional. The matter was over there itself," the all-rounder added. 

When asked if it was the management's duty to make sure everyone is in the bus, Shakib said, "Look, this doesn't work like that. The team bus doesn't wait. This doesn't happen anywhere. We have even seen players running behind the bus but it is not stopping. A team doesn't wait for anyone, really."