Taskin Ahmed admitted that Bangladesh’s collapse against Sri Lanka was “painful” and “unexpected” after a promising start crumbled into a heavy defeat in the first ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing 245, Bangladesh were cruising at 100 for 1 in the 17th over. But after that, Bangladesh lost six wickets for just five runs in the span of 20 balls, tumbling from 101 for 2 to 107 for 8, eventually folding for 167 in 35.5 overs. The meltdown equalled the ODI record for the fewest runs (4) while losing six wickets between the third and eighth dismissals, a record previously held by the USA.

“Actually, we bowled pretty well, but still, it could have been better. But it’s okay,” Taskin said after the match, reflecting on the earlier phase when he and debutant Tanzim Hasan Sakib shared seven wickets to dismiss Sri Lanka for 244.

“Unfortunately, we had a great start, but after that… tough loss for us. Seven wickets in five runs—it was unexpected. We tried, but it didn’t happen. Yeah, it wasn’t a great feeling.”

Taskin, who took 4 for 47 on his return to international cricket after five months, felt that the momentum shifted dramatically in one over.

“Premadasa is a bit tricky, but today, from that Hasaranga over when Shanto got run out followed by Tamim’s dismissal, we collapsed badly. Those two wickets in one over were the turning point for them.”

Despite the collapse, Taskin praised the fighting spirit shown by Jaker Ali, who made a resilient 51 off 64 balls, and hinted at what could have been if Bangladesh had managed to preserve wickets around him.

“Look, Jaker batted really well at the end. With him, if we had two or three batters left, then we could have won the match. Yes, we didn’t bat well, but seeing two or three guys bat on this wicket, it doesn’t feel like the wicket was that bad. That was our failure.”

Taskin, speaking candidly, admitted he was caught off guard by the sudden slide. “It reminds me that in cricket, there is uncertainty. I wasn’t expecting that. I was chilling in the dressing room with a coffee, and suddenly, five wickets down. Hopefully, we will come back stronger in the next game, and everyone will learn from the mistakes,” he said.

“The way we started today, I was expecting we would win with 5-6 overs in hand, but unfortunately, that collapse was a big loss. It hurts because I am also a player. Bowling and batting combined, we are a team,” he added.

“That one over where we lost two set batters might have caused a bit of panic. We were under pressure, we panicked, and those dismissals were unexpected. We all know the way we got out; we are not as bad. Hopefully, we will study them and come back in the next game,” he explained.

Taskin acknowledged that after a strong start, the team became too relaxed. “Yeah, after that great start, we were a bit relaxed. Everything was going our way, and suddenly, that run-out and one of our set batters, Tamim, got out. Then we panicked a bit. We didn’t play our natural game, and under pressure, we collapsed,” he said.

Statistically, chasing at Premadasa has often been difficult, but Taskin insisted Bangladesh let a winnable match slip through their hands.

“Stats-wise, this is a very low-scoring ground, especially if you bat second, and there is a high chance you lose the game. Still, this game was in our hands, and we could have done a bit better.”

Taskin also reflected on the bigger picture of Bangladesh’s ongoing struggles in the ODI format and the need to close the gap with top teams through game awareness.

“These are our best 15-20 players. Maybe in bowling and batting combined, and with game awareness, we are a bit behind the top teams. We are trying to improve that with a good environment and culture. We have been saying this transition period thing a lot. Maybe we are taking a bit longer, but we have to come out of it. There is no other option. We are working on it, and everyone is trying hard,” he said.

Addressing the fans, Taskin expressed the team’s disappointment and promised to fight back.

“I’m sure the fans want us to do well. I’m sure no player will sleep peacefully tonight after a loss like this. It will hurt. We are sorry that we lost this match. We hope we will do well. We have to keep dreaming and keep working hard. The rest is up to the Almighty,” he said.

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