Taskin Ahmed, who last played Test cricket back in February last year, will be available to play the format again, according to BCB physio Bayjedul Islam Khan.
The Bangladesh pacer took a break from the longer version of the game due to a recurring shoulder injury in February this year.
However, he recently hinted that he will be willing to play in the whites again.
Speaking to the reporters after a 鈥楶hysical Performance Assessment鈥� programme held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, Bayjedul said that Taskin can play red-ball matches despite his injury.
鈥楾askin has been playing T20s in recent times. You don鈥檛 have to bowl long spells [in this shorter format]. He鈥檚 had a problem in the shoulder. Even during the World Cup, we consulted about his shoulder,鈥� the physio said.
鈥楾he problem in his shoulder remains the same, it hasn鈥檛 changed. But you can play with that. That means if he does the proper workout, he can play. From that point, of course, Taskin is available to play Tests.鈥�
The 29-year-old pacer, though, has never been a regular in Tests. After making his debut in 2017, he was out of the format for almost four years before returning in 2021. Since then, he has played eight Tests.
According to the BCB physio, Taskin needs to take it slow if he wants to return to the format.
鈥業f you want to play Test cricket, you have to maintain the workload, you have to bowl in long spells. You have to build it up slowly. As he鈥檚 been playing T20s for a long time, he is trying [to be back]. If he feels well, then hopefully, he will be able to play Tests again鈥�, said Bayjedul.
Taskin was among the players who took the fitness test on Saturday, which was moved to SBNS from the Bangabandhu National Stadium鈥檚 athletic track in Dhaka due to the adverse weather conditions.
鈥楾he camp will start from today [Sunday]. We will work on skills from tomorrow. The running test depends on the weather. Many things will depend on whether our players want it or not. Some will go to the 鈥楢鈥� team tour and then they鈥檒l be added to the National program. We will plan in detail when we get the time,鈥� the physio said.
Bangladesh are expected to fly to Pakistan on August 17, where they will play two Tests, with the first match beginning on August 21 in Rawalpindi, while Karachi will host the second Test from August 30 to September 3.
The series will be part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.聽
