Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed under observation ahead of third ODI against New Zealand

Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed under observation.

Taskin Ahmed, the leader of Bangladesh pacer attack, was not seen at the net practice ahead of the third ODI against New Zealand, and reports suggested that he was being rested and under observation by the team management.

New Zealand leads the three-match ODI series 1-0 after winning the second ODI by 86 runs in a stunning performance. The third ODI, which will be played in Mirpur on September 26, will be the last bilateral outing for both teams before they fly to India for World Cup 2023.

Ahead of the third ODI, Bangladesh made quite a few changes, as Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das were rested while Soumya Sarkar was dropped. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taskin, and Shoriful Islam were added to the squad for the final ODI. Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain the side for the first time in ODIs, becoming the 16th player to lead Bangladesh in the 50-overs format.

While the majority of the players in the squad for the third ODI had shown up for practice today, Taskin was absent from the session as he had been rested and remains under observation. It has been confirmed that Ahmed suffered from food poisoning and might not play the third ODI.

"Taskin doesn't have any injuries, but he does have food poisoning. I feel that he will likely recover, but he may be tired if it worsens. He has been resting and was instructed to take medications. Right [he is under observation]," BCB chief physician Dr. Debashish Chowdhury told The Daily Star today.

Update on the injury status of pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib

Bangladesh side are also fretting over the injury status of right-arm pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Before taking a break from play owing to a muscular injury, the right-arm pacer played the first game against New Zealand. At the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today, the pacer ran drills.

"Tanzim Sakib's injury is neither major nor of a serious nature. We are hoping he won't take time to recover. He had muscular pain in his right leg's hip region. We checked on him today through a running session, and he responded well. He doesn't have much pain at the moment," Debashish informed.